Ginevra: Story of a Girl
by Meagana
Summary: A 32 year old Solider and Police officer from Modern Day Manhattan is turned into a 12 year old girl and sent to Xena and Gabrielle just after Illusia, what changes will they bring in each other, and in their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Xena: Warrior Princess or Hercules Legendary Journeys, it'd be cool if I did though, I am borrowing the characters for a while though I'll put them back when I'm done. There will be depictions of corporal punishment as well as occasional depictions of the darker things of life that happened in Ancient Greece like rape, kidnapping, slavery, murder, warlording, etc.**

I couldn't believe well so many things, really. I could believe I died. I was a NYPD Police Officer in Manhattan, and I did spend six years in the army, as a Solider. I joined in 2003 when I was 18, and I was trained as a mechanic and worked in the Motor pool, not that I was never in mortal danger in the Army and stayed safe in the garage, because it happened. I had several deployments, and though I knew how to use every weapon, carried by the US Army, and use them well. I had only been in one firefight on my career in the army, and once as enough, later I discharged my service weapon twice in the line on duty as a police Officer, both hit their target, neither resulted in a fatality, or serious injury, both resulted in arrested and conviction. What I can't believe is that after I died I find myself younger, shorter, alive again, in clothes very similar to what her sister would club in, except the color. She was wearing soft brown leather, almost knee high red leather boots, and a reddish brown soft leather top. It actually wasn't all that comfortable in this heat. But she wouldn't suppose Wool would be much better. The fates were there. Xena and Gabrielle had been packing up their camp and getting ready to leave for the next adventure.

"Clotho, Lachesis, and Athropos what can I do for you?" Xena said suspiciously but not unkindly.

"This is Ginevra, well that is not the name given to her by her parents, that is **_Jennifer_** , but is the closest approximation of her name in a language you will recognize. She is 12 years old, and has the knowledge, and skills of her adult self. Who served in her country's army for six years, before Serving for 8 years in her city's Police department which is a larger version of a Sheriff or Lawman, their Police Department had 36,000 officer?" Athropos, the old one said.

"And why is she here now." Gabrielle said also suspiciously.

"I died." I said. "There was a gun battle, I did my job protecting a six year old, I took a bullet a small metal projectile it hit my neck the Jugular vein I would have bled out quickly. Then the next thing I knew I was here."

Xena didn't know what Jugular meant but she knew that where the girl hit her neck, she would have bled out quickly. "Why is she here Athropos?"

"She is your responsibility now. She may have the skills, and knowledge of an adult, even of a solider, and a lawman, but she has the now often pathetic ability to keep her attention, and judgment, the both waxing and waning energy and attitude, She liked many children need a loving but firm hand whether or not she has the knowledge and skills of an adult inside her there are times she will against her knowledge and experience do something childish or reckless and it is you are, and Gabrielle as those responsible for her, to guide her at these times, even if guiding her means using that firm hand on her backside." Clotho said.

"Our lives are not a safe place for a child." Gabrielle said.

"She can handle herself better than you could when you first met Xena, and why are you arguing you have no choice it's been decreed She will make your lives better than they were, help stop things before they start. Stop the wolves at the door." And with that they disappeared.

I turned to my new guardians. "Are they always like that?"

"I've only met the fates once before, but the Gods in General? Something like that sometimes they're worse."

"I'm Sorry for all this, I'm glad not to be dead yet, but I had hoped I'd be not dead in my time and my world, with my family and friends, but I suppose I should just be grateful. Of course a somewhat famous Bard from my world, from Brittana named Rowling, once wrote, To an Organized Mind Death is but the next Great Adventure. I think that is somewhat true. Maybe I really am dead and this is my adventure….I don't know…..I mean in world, you and Gabrielle were a weekly television show when I was this age the first time, and a few years on either side."

"Television show?"

"It's like a Weekly hour or Half Hour Play you can watch through a little box, that sits either across the room, or in a smaller box in your lap. The boxes have a large window in them, and you view it on that."

"And we have our own show?" Gabrielle said.

"Well, it was called Xena: Warrior Princess but you were as important to the show as she was maybe more important because you kept Xena's dark nature, tempered, and gave her a reason to kept going when the memories overwhelmed her, besides just giving her friendship and company." I didn't mention romance not only was it none of my business I didn't know when I, or if anything happened yet. "So, when in the show am I. I mean what just happened?"

"Well, we just faced the Persian Army a few weeks ago."

"That means if we're going by Canon, and there's no telling if we are or not, usually when someone like me is introduced into a show in fan fiction is goes either way, sometimes they stick as close to canon as possible, and sometimes is slips way the fuck off…." I suddenly felt a burning in my backside and really, Gabrielle had given me a mighty swat to my backside.

"The next time you use foul language, Young lady you'll get more than one and your mouth will be washed out with soap, if we're anywhere that, that is possible." Gabrielle said. I looked to Xena.

"Don't look at me, you're 12 years old, now even if you used foul language as an adult which you shouldn't have done anyway, you're not an adult anymore, and we have every right to correct your behavior."

"Yes, Ma'am." I laughed.

"What?" Gabrielle asked.

"I was just thinking to the last time I got swatted for foul language, My parents were loving and supportive, not strict but firm about certain things, and I was about 12, My parents didn't swear, at least not anywhere we could hear. But My sister Chloe was 16, and I followed her around so I picked up some bad habits, and I knocked something over I forget what I said fuck, and I got a swat, I didn't tell where I'd picked up the language, because one or two swats, was nothing compared to what I'd get from Chloe if I tattled."

"Of course, the universal law of siblings." Xena said.

"So, you have an older sister?" They sat down on the logs.

"Chloe is a Police officer to, she works with the Canine Unit, and she has a dog partner, Marco. A Search Dog, he's trained to pick up a scent and find it. She's married to a woman named Lara, and they have a little girl named Lily. She's adorable, I also have a brother, we're 18 months apart, he's younger than me, his name is Daniel, he's the only one of not a police officer, he's a teacher, he actually teaches Music to kids a little younger than me, and he performs semi-professionally. He actually got into teaching as a fall back in case music didn't pan out, but he fell in love with teaching, with his school, with the kids, I don't think he'll ever leave."

"He found his calling." Xena said.

"He did, he is such a good teacher. His kids love him. With me, I knew I'd end up a cop eventually, both sides of my family are New York Police Department, My Mother was one of the first female Homicide Detectives in the city, and my father is the best of the best when it comes to Special Weapons and Tactics, which is the unit they call with the Shit hits the fan." Gabrielle swatted her leg. "Sorry. Anyway, I have two Uncles, Aunts, Great Uncles, 3rd, fourth cousins, my family's Involvement in the New York Police Department goes back to Great Grandfather, his father was from Eire, but he was also trained as a Master Carpenter in Eire, so he found Similar work here, even if it barely paid enough to feed his family. That's On My father's father side, On My father's Mother's side, Her father joined after he came home from War, and On My Mother's father's side, My grandfather's family had been Police officer's for 10 Generations, but his father was the first to Join the New York Police Department because they lived in Brittana before that, and My Maternal Grandmother's father owned an Upscale dance hall, are you, familiar with the concept, a tavern with or without sleeping rooms with very attractive female entertainers, and alcoholic beverages?" I asked.

Xena nodded. "We have those here too, they like the kind your great-grandfather ran vary in both the kind of entertainment, alcoholic beverages served, and entertainment provided, as well as the availability of sleeping rooms for guests to use." Xena's tone meant she understood my point.

"My Great-grandfather's dance hall didn't guarantee the use of the sleeping rooms, or the force the entertainers compliance, any arrangements the entertainers made with patrons off stage was their business, or at least that was the argument his lawyers made when he was arrested and charged with running a brothel. He won the argument, but it wasn't the last time it happened, and his entertainers were arrested for prostitution a few times."

"Why would they arrest them for that?" Xena asked. "It's a perfectly legitimate occupation, not exactly safe, but perfectly legitimate."

"It became illegal, a lot of professions, and things you would consider normal will bother me, 2,000 years and cultures have changed and so have laws. For instance Women are at least in my country are supposedly equals or are supposed to be under the law, although in practice it's not always true we're still not paid the same wage, and there are a lot of little things, in civilian life that you notice, but that's nothing compared to what I experienced in the army. While I was never raped, there were things that happened that you would probably thing nothing of, and in my Country's army you had to get used to, but the civilians in my country would be appalled."

"I understand." Xena said. She saw a lot of things, in her army and though she tried to punish when her men they raped someone, she knows most of the time she never found out. Her commanders wouldn't have told her. She only found out when it happened right in front of her. And though she was harsh on those she found out, she knows in their minds they were being punished for their lack of discretion and doing something in front of her that pissed her off, not for the rape itself.

"Like what?" Gabrielle said.

"Well, Corporal Punishment for one, I was spanked as a kid, but I wouldn't tell my friend that not because I was embarrassed but because most people, especially in bigger cities in the Northeastern, and West Coast Parts of My Country, believe that all Corporal Punishment not just beatings are wrong, and are abusive, in fact a lot of things parents do here would be considered abuse, in my time and as a Police officer I would be obligated to take the children away from their families, and arrest them."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Hitting your wife is also considered assault, having more than one spouse is illegal, and raising your own army and trying to conquer things is illegal."

"Well, that I figured." Xena said.

"You're not considered an adult until you're 18. We live in a Democratic Republic, Called the United States of America, it has 50 states that have their own state governments, as well as a federal government, And every Citizen in my country Man, or woman can vote at 21 if they're registered, but they don't vote for our president, our leader, We start with a large pool, and there are primaries, and then each party decides on a candidates and they run, and then there's an electoral college, and representatives from each state there are 50, vote between two candidates. We haven't had a president I was happy about in a long time. In fact this election I just voted for the candidate I thought would do the least amount of damage, The last president I had such high hopes for, and he was even in the party to which I belong and he did a few good things, but He did a lot of damage, then the ones before him made their own marks and did their own damage, our country and the world in general isn't in the best shape right now. And although I'm not happy with the president my country has, I can't honestly say the other candidate would have done a better job….I'm not sure it would have been much worse, just different."

"It sounds a little bit like Athens, and Rome." Xena said.

"A little bit." I said. "I'm sure the founders used past Republics as models, they also put in the ability to change and adapt into our constitution because they knew that what was okay at the time, might not be okay in 100 years. At the time our Constitution was written Slavery was legal, it was abolished, women couldn't vote, or hold office, we can do both now, you had to be a 21 year old land owner to vote, now you just have to be an 18 year old Citizen, and registered to vote."

"That's Amazing." Gabrielle said.

"We really shouldn't be sitting here talking about the origins of my country, we've been talking for a while, don't you places to go?"

Xena nodded. "Yes, we're only about two hours from the next town. We need to get there, check into an Inn, get you everything we need to travel with us seeing as you only have the clothes on your back and get Gabrielle a horse, and everything for it, with three of us, one horse is not enough."

They finished packing up, I helped, and Xena helped me unto Argo, and we started talking. "So, What did you do in the army, I suppose you weren't a fighter?"

"I have been in one battle, and I did patrol a few times, but mostly I worked in the Motor Pool, I took care of the Vehicles, I'm a crack mechanic. We had Humvees, and trucks, They are like Horseless wagons that are armor plated, and built for both security and guilt to survive hazardous terrain and if need be explosions. I also have some Engineering skills, I can look at something, see how it works, see how to improve it, or see how it doesn't work and fix it." I said.

"That's a good skill to have." Xena said.

"I got that from My Dad, My Mom can figure out any puzzle, she's a great detective, but figuring out how to solve things, how to improve them and fix them, that's all my dad." I said. "Chloe's more like My Mom but also a bit like Iolous that loyal best friend, type, and nobody knows where Daniel gets his personality, if I had to give describe his personality, I'd say he was like a cross between Gabrielle when you first met her, and in all honesty, a bit like Aphrodite, My brother has this Sexy Siren thing about him, there's just something about him, that he does this thing with his voice that makes both women and men fall in love with him, he takes advantage of that, not that they don't know what they're getting into he doesn't lead anyone on, and he has pretty amazing match making skills, the strangest part is he seems to do it by accident, the match making I mean."

"Well, if you were from our world, I would suggest He was one of Aphrodite's chosen."

"Well, I don't think I am, the show, was very unrealistic, and there was a lot of historical inaccuracies, for instances do glass, crossbows, and tomatoes currently exist in Greece?"

"Yes." Xena wondered what this has to with anything.

"They wouldn't if it was historically accurate, also the Trojan war was longer ago, than 2,000 years ago, Hercules and Jason wouldn't have gone to school together, they were a generation or two apart, and Cesar definitely shouldn't exist in this time period."

Xena growled. "No Kidding."

"Not to mention the brush with Christianity you guys may or may not have later if this sticks to canon. But as far as I can tell, I'm a game changer, so things may go off course."

"But You'll tell us if you see certain cues that start one of these plays." Xena said.

"Of course."

"Can You tell us what you know that will happen over the next few years?"

"I guess so." And I did. "You have to understand I haven't actually seen the show in about three years, and while I enjoyed the show, and called myself a fan, I wasn't the kind of fan that took in every detail and watched in fascination and riveted attention, so I couldn't tell you everything, especially since when I watched the series three years ago, I was doing two or three other things at the time."

"No, you did fine. But it does make me wonder if you're the Fates way of rewriting history." Xena said.

"Probably." Gabrielle said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two-**

 **Warnings I don't own Xena.**

 **There's bad stuff that happens in this fic because it's set at a time in human history when people were violent and a little crazy, it also has Greek Gods in it and they were bat shit insane, violent and vindictive. But I'm going to stick to the show as much as I can, without bringing about the Twilight of the Gods or the 25 year sleep, because I have serious issues with those story lines, well just one issue they exist. There will be corporal punishment of children and possibly adults in this fic, and of a child particularly in this chapter. And Xena and Gabrielle like, like each other and have romantic feelings for each other they both know it they have told each other they love each other that way but have not acted on it yet.**

We'd been riding for a while. "What exactly are we going to tell people about where she's from? We can't tell people she's from the future?"

"Well, I grew up in the area of Bayside, in the neighborhood of Oakdale Gardens, and for the last eight years, I've lived in The East Village. Now Oakdale is Not exactly a helpful name, bayside is slightly better, but the East Village, there has to be unimaginative village founders in this world, who named their villages, things like West Village, East Village, Hill Side.

Xena nodded. "There are actually quite a lot. The Village, closest to the Amazon and Centaur Village is known as South Village, because the Amazons and Centaurs were there first and they are to the South of them, We will say you are from East Village…"

Gabrielle added. "It isn't quite a lie, you are 12 that is most of your life, and you can say you are from there."

"Alright." I said. "But when they ask to what I am east of…."

"Are there any natural landmarks?"

"The East River, and Long Island Sound, are the only ones actually I can think of."

"So East of the River." Gabrielle said.

"Okay, but it wasn't that close to the River, and technically it was west of the River."

"Ginevra, it's just a cover story for people, we don't want need or want to tell the truth to, it needs to be simple, but easy to remember." Xena scolded.

"I got it, Sorry."

"It's alright, I know this is difficult for you." Xena said. "Speaking of being difficult, we need to put some rules in place. I know that part of you is an adult, but most of you isn't. Most of you is a child who needs rules and boundaries, and consequences for your actions. We'll have chores for you to do, every day, it may just be one or two things, or it may be several things, You'll have scrolls to do most days, and that's whether we have to teach you to read and write Greek, or your education is a little further along or not, You'll obey Gabrielle and me when you tell us to do things, and obey the rules we give you, first of all no weapons, you'll be given a basic pocket knife, the kind most boys your age have, it's a tool not a weapon, and it's to be treated with respect, and to stay in your satchel unless it's need, you'll be given the tools to keep it in working order, and you're to take care of it, We'll be getting you a staff, to practice with and use, so you can learn and practice with Gabrielle, but it's going to stay in a ring on either Argo, or her Horse, when we feel you're ready we'll allow you to carry it, you will not touch any other weapons especially not without our permission, do you understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good, You'll be given some freedom when we go to villages and camp for the night, but you're never to leave our eyesight without permission which we'll grant you, when we're in camp you never leave calling distance ever, and we're in the market, you never go anywhere we don't give you permission to go. If you ask to go ahead to the confectioner's stall, you wait there for us, we're willing to give you freedom but you can't abuse it, We don't want you fighting, but we understand that can't be avoided, the only time you'll be punished for fighting is when you either started the fight, you could have ended somehow and didn't, or you could have easily walked away and the person was an actual threat, another time you will be punished is if you do something incredibly dangerous."

"Like Gabrielle and the whole thing with the Titans?"

"Yes and if you do something so monumentally stupid, you'll end up with bruised bottom too, that time I used a Switch, but most of the times I punished Gabrielle the back of my hairbrush was all that was needed."

"Excuse me, Warrior." Gabrielle said. "I remember paddling your backside after we got back from Illusia, something about you breaking your promise, to not do evil."

"Anyway, as long as you follow our rules, relatively well, you shouldn't feel the switch, but you are human so should feel the hairbrush on occasion." Gabrielle said. "It's okay, everyone makes mistakes the important thing is to learn from them."

"And I suppose you think it's your job to help me learn?"

"It is." Xena said.

"I suppose it is." I sighed. "I hate this I barely survived growing up the first time, and I wasn't in as dangerous place, in the care of people with a target of their backs and an innate need to help people…." Thinking about my parents. "Okay, well I guess my parents would fit into that category, but your world is more dangerous than mine."

"You're Knowledge and skills give you some protection, and so do our rules if you actually follow them, and Gabrielle and I will protect you, even if you don't actually follow the rules, can't guarantee you'll like the consequences very much, in fact I can guarantee you won't like them very much at all but we'll protect you, and take care of you, and teach you how to protect and take care of yourself." Xena said.

"I still have to go through puberty again."

"Well, yeah." Xena laughed. "I'm sorry about that, but you can think of this as some sort of crime that was committed against you, or you can think of it as a gift, as chance to become someone different, to grow and become more than you were before, someone better."

"I wasn't perfect Xena, I know that, but I liked who I was, and I liked my life. I was happy, overworked, underpaid, constantly bruised, and running low on sleep but I loved being a cop, I loved helping people and protecting them, and knowing the area I patrolled well enough that I knew the people who lived there, and their habits, who was a threat and who wasn't. It was a good feeling. And I was good at, I was a good solider, I followed orders, and liked the army, I learned a lot there, discipline, comradery, teamwork, engineering and Mechanics skills, Organization, Negotiation, fighting and self-defense, first aid, or as you would call basic healing, and how to take care of myself, and stand on my own two feet, I'm sure I want to be someone different."

Gabrielle sighed. "I suspect you already are, when a God transforms someone they take on the traits of whatever they are transformed into, even if they keep their own mind, for instance, Pigs, stags wolves, chickens you were turned into a 12 year old girl. You still have your knowledge and skills, but you're going to begin to think like a 12 year old girl, reason like a 12 year old girl, and probably behave like a 12 year old girl to some extent."

"Well, except for the occasional fight and one school suspension for inciting a riot, and disrupting the orderly running of the school day, and cutting class, I was a very well behaved 12 year old."

"You incited a riot?" Xena said.

"All I did was try to organize a peaceful demonstrating protesting School's adoption of a uniform, when some of the students realized they'd have to wear a uniform and got a little excited, I certainly didn't incite anything, all I did was have a bunch of large posters in bold bright colored letters, and pictures of the uniform, everyone else did the rest."

"How did your parents react?"

"They agreed with me, and send a lawyer friend after them, I got my suspension turned into a two weeks detention, meaning I had to stay after school for two weeks I was still cutting all my classes all day, and I still got grounded, that pretty much means confined to your room except for meals, necessity, bathing, and school, and had a few other privileges taken away. I also had to write an essay on the importance of an education, and another one the history of Non-violent protest." I said.

"That means like a good punishment, it sounds like your parents knew how to make the punishment fit the crime." Xena said.

"Yeah, usually. They didn't spank unless, it involved lying, cheating stealing, bullying, direct disobedience, vandalism, doing anything dangerous, or if we crossed the line with disrespect usually when we were disrespectful we just got our mouths washed out and had to write some impossible number of lines, and they always made sure the line was a long one, like. " **I am a child and my must respect my parents, as I must treat all adults with respect whether I respect them or not, but also I must learn to treat everyone with respect otherwise as an adult people will not want to deal with me",** I got that once, I never crossed the line and got a spanking for disrespect, neither did Daniel, but it happened to Chloe all the time between the ages of 12 and 17, and once at 19, and obvious there was discretion involved, if the lying involved a surprise birthday party for example, or direct disobedience was something like, cut up some fruit for breakfast, and I don't, I'm probably not going to get a spanking, just a lecture….."

"Makes sense." Xena said.

We talked for a while, and got to the town, which looked like every village in Xena stories, the Town which had a Greek name that meant, Haven. Huh, anyway,

"Can you read that?"

"Yes, how long are we staying?"

"A few days, we need to figure some things out. We need to stable Argo, and find an Inn." They navigated easily and found the stable quickly, there was a stable boy there a little older than my current age, and Xena told him, to take care of Argo, they took the bags, and we went to The Inn. It was run by a woman if she had red instead of black and greying hair would remind me of Mrs. Weasley from Harry Potter.

"I'm Ariana, Welcome to my Inn, Can I help you?"

"We need a room with two beds?" Gabrielle said.

"I have one, it's more expensive, it doesn't just have a second bed, it has a table and chairs, a water pitcher, and washing bowl, and has private access to its own bathing room, and it's usually 25 dinars a night, all meals included for all occupants."

"I'm Gabrielle, this is Xena and Ginevra, before agree to take the room, let's talk price."

"Gabrielle the bard, I would be willing to come to agreement about the price…." They went round and round and settled on a price for the room. Gabrielle eventually for the room for 12 dinars a night, meals included for all three of us, and she got to keep any coins she made, but they had to stay for at least three, but no more than five nights. I doubted we'd stay five nights. We settled into the room. It was clean, and I guessed by ancient Greece Standards for an Inn like this very well appointed, it was very sparse by my standards but I said nothing. When I was in the army I'd stayed in some sparse living conditions, My Dad may have been a city boy, but he loved camping and took us about a few times a year, and my first apartment after the army, was something pretty horrible. I don't think it was as nice as this, it just had running water and electricity, or you know in theory anyway. One of them were always on the fritz. It was a nice room, compared to some of the places she'd stayed. So I wasn't going to complain.

"We need to get you a few outfits, sleeping shifts, underthings, a satchel, a bowl, cup, and spoon, sponge, rags, and handkerchiefs, a hairbrush…."

"What about a tooth brush?" I asked.

"Never heard of one of those…" Our first stop. Was to get wooden items. We got a Hairbrush, Wooden bowl, cup, my Yo-Yo, Which he had plenty of, and Xena wondered why I wanted a Stringed disk but didn't ask too many questions, Next we went to get regular clothes, sleeping shifts, the normal villager dress, and the Leggings, and shirts I needed, those would be soft butter leather, the dress was Honey tan, and Rust red. It looked good on me, the leathers, were mostly browns, tans, and reds, well on the leggings were leather, the shirts were just regular shirts, not leather, I guess they didn't want to waste the money on leather shirts, and they were basically muted colors. I had four shirts. One was Honey golden brown, one was a blueish grey, one was Reddish rust color, and one was some color stuck not quite a Jade Green but close. It was summer so not jacket was bought. We did get a bedroll, and we went to the parchment dealer, and got Sheets of parchment, scrolls, a journal book for me, that one I insisted, bottles of ink, Quills, Gabrielle handled the deal beautifully, and then we went to get a Satchel for me. We ended up getting two bags. We back to the room, and packed up the stuff. And by then it was time for supper, or evening meal. It was a Venison stew. We were sitting with Ariana's daughter Violet. She was about 16, and her mother treated her like she was my physical age. Protected her.

"So you get to travel with Xena and Gabrielle that is so amazing!"

"Violet, I liked Xena and Gabrielle and I'm grateful I found them, they protect me from what's out there, and they care about me, most people in the world wouldn't protect and care for a child they don't know, but I miss my mother and father, my brother and sister, I miss going to sleep knowing I probably wasn't going to be attacked in my sleep, life on the road is dangerous." I said.

Xena gave me a half smile. "What happened to your family?"

"I lost them, I don't want to talk about it."

Ariana interrupted." Violet, leave her alone, or change the subject."

"So where are you from?"

"A small village called East Village. Ironically it's actually west of here." She said. Violet nodded.

"What did your Da do?"

Since her father made things of when as a hobby, and was a general Mr. Fix it, she had no problem saying. "He worked with wood, I don't know if I'd call him a Carpenter since he was never apprenticed, but he made things to sell, and he fixed things."

She nodded. "He was still a carpenter, he just was self-taught, My Mom and Da opened this in, and no one taught them how to anything, they had to guess at how to do a lot of things, but they figured it out, or learn on their own and they did."

I nodded. After evening Meal, Gabrielle told some stories I was riveted until Xena told me it was time for bed, she took me to the room of necessity, the Ancient Greek version of a toilet, which was just a hole in the bench, then we washed my hands, I was surprised at the somewhat modern facilities, I protested a little, but Xena easily guided me up to bed. And watched as I changed into my new sleep shift, and helped me into the bed furthest from the door. She helped me into bed. She sat on the edge of the bed.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm just trying to adjust, I do miss my family, I miss my partner." Off her look. "Not a lover, My Work partner, Sam, he's a rookie, a new cop, been on the job less than a year, it's my job to show him how to be a cop, I'm sure whoever teaches him now, will do a good job, as long as it's now Lansing, but Who's a good cop, just never looks before he leaps." I said. "That's a very bad thing for most cops, it works for Lansing because his instincts are damn good, the best of any cop I know, outside my Mom, but it's a bad thing to teach a rookie."

"I understand, You miss your family, and your charge. I would miss Gabrielle, as well."

"Are you and Gabrielle lovers?" I asked.

"We weren't, we aren't, but since Illusia we have been more than we were."

"You've always been more than friends Xena."

"That's true, we've always had some something more than friendship, but whatever happened in Illusia, the feelings are more than just friendship, and that unexplainable bond we had, there have been fleeting looks, and brief touches, that mean more than they would have before Illusia."

"Where I come from there's a saying, Seize the Day, it's usually said in Latin, but I know how to feel about that particular language, it means that no one knows how much time they have, and you need to live for today."

"I'm familiar with the phrase, Ginevra. Thank you, but you're right. Alright it's time for bed." The next morning we were all up bright and early, and I was forced to work on scrolls. The fates had given me the ability, to understand, speak, And Read and if I had a modern pen Write. Not only Ancient Greek, but a lot of other languages too. Unfortunately they did not give me the ability to hold, or use a quill with any ability, or write any more legibly with a modern pen than I would have been able to in the future. Gabrielle wouldn't have that. So I was stuck in handwriting practice. We was working in the main room, dining room, of the inn, Ariana came over.

"Are you learning how to write?"

"I already knew how to read, and sort of write, but my handwriting is so bad, that Gabrielle thinks I need to practice until it gets better." She looks down at the spare parchment I was using Gabrielle wouldn't let me use scrolls for this. Ariana smiles.

"She's right, how long have you been using a quill?"

"Not long, I mostly used something else back home, and my handwriting has always been less than good, Gabrielle won't teach me what I need to learn to be educated, if I don't have proper handwriting, So I need to get good enough."

"Well, well on you, My Mom taught me to read and write, I wasn't allow to go to school, and even though she didn't want to I made sure Violet went to school."

"Why wouldn't she want to go to school? Even my sister Chloe always wanted to go, of course that more so she could spend time with her friends and learn to write and learn mathematics so she could plan better pranks…..but it's important to learn. Knowledge is power."

"That's right." I looked at the red headed woman in the armor.

"Lady Athena." I said recognizing her. "It's nice to meet you, but I'm not allowed to talk to Gods without Xena or Gabrielle being present and I want sit through dinner tonight." I said.

She chuckled. "My Sister Aphrodite is getting them."

"Just between us Aphrodite is smarter than she lets people believe isn't she?" I asked.

She chuckled again. "Yes, she is. She has to be she actually matches people based on many different factors."

Our hostess, Ariana bows. "Lady Athena please welcome to my home, is there anything I can get for you, anything at all."

"My sisters, Artemis, and Aphrodite will be joining, Ginevra, Xena and Gabrielle in here shortly, if you could bring some Ale, or wine, for the adults, and some juice or milk for Ginevra I'd appreciate it."

"Of course, Lady Athena." She bowed and left the room.

"What are you working on?" She asked.

"Mostly handwriting practice. I can read and sort of write in Greek, but my handwriting is pretty bad."

"You'll get better."

"I hope so, or Gabrielle's never going to teach me the stuff I need to know."

"I'm sure she will." Aphrodite comes in with flurry of butterflies and hearts, Artemis in a shock of silver, and Xena and Gabrielle enter through the door.

"Hello, Xena, Gabrielle." Athena said.

"Athena." Xena said.

"Please, have a seat." Athena said. "Our Hostess is getting refreshments. Now we're here to discuss Ginevra, Who is my one of My Chosen, and under my purview, as well as Apollo's, as she has some seer talents, and I believe she will be under Artemis's if Gabrielle gives her, her rite of caste."

"I'd prefer not to lead the Amazons, Lady Athena. I don't think I'd be very good at." I'd said. Ariana appeared with Wooden Mugs tankards of Something, She put them in front of each of the adults, and one in front of me, I took a sip, it tasted like fruit punch sort of. She also put out a trey of something closely resembling fruit and nut cookies.

Gabrielle spoke. "Only two cookies, Ginevra."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Ariana bowed. "My Ladies."

Athena spoke. "If you could leave us to speak, Ariana, and keep the area clear, of other guests we'd be grateful."

Ariana bowed. "Of course my ladies." She rushed off.

"Now as we've discussed, Ginevra is my chosen, she also falls under Apollo's Purview, but he's having a slight issue right now…."

Aphrodite stage whispered. "One of his Demigods just came into her powers, she's having a bit of a trouble controlling them…"

We nodded. I spoke. "If history stays true, Ares will freeze The Warrior Princess and the Battling Bard in an Ice Gave in about two years for 25 years, and Eve that's the child's name will grow up as Rome's champion, and Ares' chosen and Lover, if I take Gabrielle's rite of caste I will Queen then, not that it will matter, because I'll either be dead and sold into slavery at because of the Romans."

Athena sighed. "Ginevra, we don't know what's going to happen. We can't know because the future isn't written yet. We can only take each day as it comes, and that's true whether you're a mortal or a God, unless you happen to be the Fates or their chosen, even Seers rarely see the future clear enough to know their own futures."

"I know it's just frustrating." I said with a sigh.

"I can understand that, now we all have gifts for you."

Artemis smiled. "Now I brought you a Fighting Staff." She said it materializing in my hand it was about almost as tall as me, and was of a hard wood and fit perfectly in my hand. "It is made from a Juniper tree, for which you are named Ginevra, it is strong and will serve you well. I carved it myself, although it has to head on it, in the sides of the staff itself are the symbols of the Owl, the sun, the crescent moon, and the heart you are well protected Ginevra."

"Thank you." I said, unsure of what to say.

"Your welcome child."

Aphrodite spoke next. "Well, Cutie, I'm next. I brought you an amulet, it has a spell on it will protect you from harm, and it changes colors so it'll go with most outfits."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Aphrodite, it's very thoughtful."

"Now, as you're my chosen I have the final gift for you." She produces a Boot dagger. "This is made of Hephaestus metal, and will serve you well, it is balanced perfectly, and as you can see is shorter than the height of your boots, therefore will remain hidden." She waved her hand and I felt it completely hidden in my boot you couldn't see it inside my boot.

"Thank you all, you have been so kind to me."

"Of course." Athena said. Xena narrowed her eyes. Artemis and Aphrodite disappear. "Xena we aren't a threat to you, and if your child is born we won't attack her."

"I hope not, because we will defend ourselves." She disappeared. "Alright, Kid. You're in some trouble."

"Why?"

"Because that was information, that Xena and I should have." Gabrielle said. "And you definitely shouldn't have given it to Athena before talking to us first, I know they seem nice, but you know she was a threat and you still gave her information that was potentially dangerous."

"As a solider you know how dangerous information is, so I'm sorry, but you've earned a spanking."

Xena had held me as an I cried, and then righted me clothes, and laid me down on my bed, on my stomach, and told me to take a nap until dinner.

"I'm 12, or at least in a 12 year old body I don't need a nap." I said with a yawn.

"Ginevra, I'm the adult in charge and I'm telling you to lay down and rest or do you need another demonstration that I'm in charge?"

"No, I'm good." I closed my eyes, and cuddled into the pillow, I hoped we got pillows when we camped I didn't think we did. She covered me up. Xena left room, outside the room, Gabrielle was waiting for her.

"Is she okay, Xena?"

"She's fine, worn out but fine."

"You must have hated doing that so much."

"She needed it Gabrielle."

"Doesn't mean you liked doing it, Xena."

"No, I didn't Gabrielle, You could learn a thing or two from her next time you're due for a punishment she didn't try to talk me out of it, or stall. She asked what was going to happen and then apologized said she was sorry I had to do it, and that we might as well get it over it, and then just accepted it, she did as she was told, followed by instructions, she did squirm and kick a lot, but didn't cry out until the end when she started bawling."

"Well, at least part of her is a grown woman Xena she had to realize she had it coming."

"She did. And now we can put this behind us, we'll get her up in a few hours, and we'll have dinner."

"How hard did you….I mean are we going to be able to ride out of here in a few days…...?"

"She'll be fine by tomorrow morning, sleeping tonight will be best done on her stomach, and sitting through dinner will be pretty uncomfortable but no one ever died from either embarrassment or a sore backside, Gabrielle."

"Believe me I know, I remember one time, My mother dragged me off to spank me practically in front the entire village, not only was I sore for two days, but I was humiliated, everyone knew the next day what had happened. I didn't even think I had deserved it I felt My mother was just trying to control me and save face with the village, but now as an adult, I had wandered off and not only that I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, there were strangers in the village that day, My mother was scared for my safety. I was only about a year older than Ginevra is now. I couldn't see it that way either, and of course I mouthed off to my mother which made the spanking worse, if I had just accepted I had disobeyed her and not stayed by her side apologized she might not have spanked me at all, just given me a few swats, given me short lecture, but I had to argue with her I couldn't see I had done anything wrong all I saw was her trying to control me, treat me as a small child having to walk beside her, not allowing me go off and work on my stories, or buy more scrolls, quills and ink."

"I would have spanked you too, whether you mouthed off or not."

Gabrielle chuckles.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

 **(A/N: While it's true Xena and Gabrielle in the last chapter may have overacted but remember they just lost Solan and there was that thing with Hope, they don't trust Gods, and giving away information to people who aren't actually in your confidence is a bad idea Loose lips sink ships and all, so she didn't deserve to be spanked but she did deserve consequences, as for Xena and Gabrielle all they saw was that a future that a future baby was possibly in danger and Ginevra blurt it out in a fit of anger to a god that supposedly was a threat to that future child, and adults back then did expect to be obeyed without question. It's not exactly fair, but I doubt Xena and Gabrielle will see that they did anything wrong, because in their minds they didn't, and Ginevra is probably trying to sort out the differences between her old life and new.)**

 **I don't own Xena: Warrior Princess or Hercules Legendary Journeys, not even the DVDs although if you want to shell out the clams for the DVDs and donate them to my collection…JK, anyway, I am borrowing the characters for a while though I'll put them back when I'm done. There will be depictions of corporal punishment as well as occasional depictions of the darker things of life that happens in this world like rape, kidnapping, slavery, murder, warlording, etc. Xena and Gabrielle are in love in this fic, and Twilight of the Gods, and the 25 year sleep will not happen though many other things in the story line will. Well on with the show I mean Fan Fic!**

Gabrielle woke me up just before dinner, I felt like I had sprained my ass or something, it hurt like hell. I was definitely squirming at the dinner table. Ariana had offered me a pillow, but Xena said she hadn't gone to all the trouble to turn her over her knee, to provide a pillow, the discomfort was a reminder so I wouldn't repeat the behavior that led to the spanking in the first place, and no one died of a sore backside. In truth it wasn't my worst spanking that was when I was 16 and I got incredibly drunk at a high school party and got into a car with a friend who was equally drunk, came home and threw up all over her mother's case files. Needless to say putting myself in that kind of danger, I got quite a punishment. But most of them were just slightly painful reminders not to repeat a behavior and the soreness lasted no longer than a few hours in most cases. Her parents weren't abusers, no matter what most modern people thought of spanking. She wasn't a fan of being on the receiving end, and she didn't think she could ever spank a child, but theoretically she wasn't against it. Dinner was the same stew they had for lunch, only they had a fruit tart for dessert. Then Xena stood, and so did Gabrielle, I stood as well.

"Ginevra, you're going to be helping Ariana with chores around the inn for the few days we're here." Gabrielle said.

"Yes, Ma'am." I said.

"Don't worry you'll have plenty of times for your scrolls, you'll just be helping after meal times, during the cleaning up, as part of your punishment." Gabrielle said. "No go on."

I nodded and went to help, it wasn't as if I'd ever washed dishes without the use of electricity before, I had, it was hard not impossible, or even hard just tedious. I helped Ariana and Violet with the dishes, and then Xena stuck her head in and told me it was time for me to started getting ready to sleep. Xena took me to use the Latrine outside, and then I washed up, and changed and Xena helped me into bed.

"Xena, are we staying long?"

"A few more days, and then we're leaving, we need to buy, Gabrielle a horse, one horse for two people works out fine, but one horse for three is not enough, we also need to go over any information on what you know about who and what we'll be running into in the future."

"I don't remember everything Xena, It's been over a year since I've watched an episode, almost 3 years since I've watched the series in its entirety, and over 10 years since the show first aired, closer to 20."

"I know, but you must have a general idea of what is going to happen to us."

"Yes, but I'm not sure I could put them all in order…." Xena sat on the edge of my bed.

"Ginevra, we need a general idea, of what is going to happen, so tomorrow I want you to write what you remember about this series."

"You got pretty upset when I shared my information with Athena."

"Because you shared with her, before us, and you told her without permission. Ginevra, you must remember even though Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite are helpful to us, Aphrodite is even what Gabrielle and I would call a friend you need to be cautious and can't trust them completely, Gods are not like us, they don't think the way we do, they don't see our lives quite as precious and important as we do."

"Not all Mortals do either."

"That's true, and it's unfortunate. Alright, Ginevra, it's late enough it's time for you to visit Morpheus."

"I'd be wide awake and just hitting me stride if I was back home."

"You were an adult, not a child, Ginevra, now are you going to argue with me?"

"No ma'am." Xena tucked the blankets up to my chin, I laid half on my stomach half on my side, my butt was still pretty tender even if didn't really throb or hurt as much as it did hours ago, and Xena started to rub my back, I started to drift off.

Xena rubbed the girl's back, and watched her drift off, she shook her head, 32 years of experience or not she was still a child in many ways. She almost felt like it was a second chance, she was the same age as her own son, even with her solider and cop memories, and Athena had assured her that despite these she was very much a child. She left to leave the girl to sleep, Gabrielle was telling stories and had the entire inn of people in the palm of her hand, she was making many coins, she would keep the ones she made but Ariana was making many of her own. She went to the bar.

"I'll have an Ale, please." She asked The Innkeeper's Nephew Eustace. She had decided to adopt a few more niceties that her mother had taught her as a child that she'd since abandoned so that, her charge would adopt them no doubt years as a solider and a cop, had stripped her of those name niceties, and Gabrielle still used them more often than not. And would probably insist, the girl used them as well.

Eustace put an Ale in front of her in a wooden tankard. "Here, you go."

"Thank you."

"I've heard, of the bard Gabrielle, she's as talented as I'd been told, My Aunt is very appreciative of you agreeing to stay as long as you have. If there is anything you two need don't be afraid to ask." He said, with a small half smile.

"You don't look like a small town Inn Keeper Eustace." She said. He had some burn scars on his face.

He nodded. "Well I am, it's just not all I am, just like, being a champion of the people, isn't all you are, and being a bard isn't all Gabrielle is. Like most things in nature, people have layers, Xena, I don't have to tell you that Xena."

Xena laughed. "That's true. Were you a warrior?"

"I was trained as a warrior, by my mentor Sexto after my family and village was slaughtered, after I avenged them I had no need to continue, I didn't want a life of blood and vengeance I only wanted the men who killed and raped by mother and sisters stopped, Sexto understood and brought me here, I was 17, that was 3 years ago, My Aunt was happy to have a man to fix things and help with rowdy customers since my Uncle's death."

Xena nodded she understood. "I understand, Eustace."

"I knew you would."

The next morning I woke up the tenderness was mostly gone, we had breakfast, and I helped with the dishes and serving and things, and then I had to write the episodes and plots I remembered, I wrote by season.

"Do you have any idea how much time passes between episodes?" Gabrielle said looking at the list.

"No. I'm Sorry Gabrielle I don't. Athena appeared.

"Athena, it's good to see you." I said smiling.

"Yes, My little Owlet, now we won't interfere, too much, we won't try to kill Eve, if she is born we also won't stop Ares from killing Eli if that comes to pass, but We will keep Hope from coming back, we cannot allow Ares to mate with her." Gabrielle and Xena nodded. "Other than that we won't interfere, too much."

"Thank you, Athena." Xena said sincerely.

"You're Welcome, Xena, By the way you were never meant to be one of Ares chosen you were meant to be my chosen and protected from Ares, Ares took advantage of you, I can protect you from him if you wish."

"I would but I don't really trust Gods, all that much."

"I understand."

She left.

Gabrielle sighed. "Alright, now, School work."

Gabrielle did another story telling set that night, and made a lot of coins, the next day. Xena and Gabrielle was needed for a small crisis, it actually wasn't much, an Illegitimate son of a rich asshole kidnapped his younger legitimate brother, they considered not taking the 'case' but did, they found them in another laughing and joking with each other, it turns out there was no kidnaping and the younger boy had just left with him voluntarily because he was pissed with his father. The father agreed to claim his younger son.

"Do you get many cases like that?"

"None, that work out so well, no." Gabrielle said. The day went by quickly, and I did more writing, the day went by quickly, and Gabrielle had another night of telling stories, I got to hear one before being sent to bed. The next day was our second to last full day in the village, we had a lot to do today. We were buying a horse for Gabrielle today. I got to come along. We went to the Horse place, I had no idea what it was called here, and in the old west it would be called a Livery.

Well build 40 year old man who about 6'1, well built, with hideous teeth, and a very weathered face, was in leather clothes was running the livery, his name was Max. "Aye, Xena what can I do for you?"

"My friend Gabrielle needed a horse, it needs to be friendly enough, intelligent, strong, and protective if possible." Xena said.

"I think I have just the horse, he has a bit if spirit, but if You don't mind using a bit of patience, he'll be one hell of a companion, He's pure Black Horse, He's about 4 years old, he answers to Midnight, My daughter named him."

"That's fine." Gabrielle said. It's better than Blackie, I thought I would have named him Onyx I thought. Or Sirius, Sirius Black. I have to stop that.

Xena spoke. "Is he saddle trained and ready?"

"Yes, but he is more responsive to pressure than verbal commands, I think he was a war horse, he's very intelligent, and empathetic."

We got the horse, and Xena began training him that day, and Gabrielle helped, we actually stayed an extra couple of days so Midnight could get a jump start on training, and then we headed out. I had no idea where the Temple of Apollo that they stole the Urn from was, or even if it was a Temple of Apollo, and just had an Urn of Apollo. Gabrielle said it would have to be a temple of Apollo to have an urn of Apollo, but then Xena said most Temples of Apollo didn't offer forgiveness so she knew which one to go to. It was a 3 day trip on two horses, instead of double that on one, since we could go faster, with one or two of us walking. We set out as soon as we could the next day after got the supplies we needed and Xena and Gabrielle made a long list of rules I had to following, and even wrote them on a piece of parchment so I knew what they were. We stopped for lunch near a stream, Xena had some court of water divining talent, I think. We watered Argo and Midnight and fed them grass, and we had dried meat and bread at noon, and then we stopped around 4, and started to set up camp, I got the wood, and water, and helped make the fire, and gathered followed Xena as she set protections and traps, and helped butcher, clean and dress the wild birds, and rabbits, and gather the thyme, onions, carrots, turnips, and wild cherries she found. Gabrielle made it into a wonderful stew. We sat around the fire, while it simmered.

"So, have you ever camped out like this?" Gabrielle asked.

"When I was in the army sure, not when I was 12 the first time. My family were born and bred city people, the great outdoors wasn't really their thing. I enjoyed it though, when I came back home after the army I used to go camping all the time, when I got time off, which wasn't often, Public servants aren't known for a great many days off." I said.

Xena nodded. "This is true."

I smiled. "You know I signed up, out of a sense of patriotism, and a need to get out of the shadow of my family but I ended up finding myself. I really did well not enjoy that's the wrong word because one does not enjoy war, but felt comfortable in my own skin there, and grew confident, and I did enjoy the comradery, the sense of unity, and the friendships I made in the army, I also appreciated the lessons I learned there, but I didn't outright enjoy myself."

Xena nodded. "No reason why you should."

"I just wish I could see Alexander again."

"Alexander?" Gabrielle asked.

I know my smile was sad, it always was when I thought of Alexander. "He was my husband, we were married for a little over 7 months before he died in the line of duty, he was a cop like me, and His ancestors must have been from the same town you were from because his last name was Amphipolis He was a good man."

"When did you lose him?" Gabrielle asked.

"Three years ago, we were discussing children before he left, there are ways to have children without a partner, or for women to have them without a man, but I wanted the child to be his."

They nodded. "How do they…without men?"

"Well, they learned how it was the men actually made women pregnant, what it was they did, and the men can just masturbate into a cup, and their donations can be preserved and used later, personally I think adoption is the better route there are already plenty of children in the world, who need homes, if I decided to have a child, I would have adopted one of them."

"That makes sense." Gabrielle said. "Does your brother and sister have children?"

"Chloe has a daughter named Elisa, she's can read simple books, and can do math problems, she's a prodigy, None of us in my family are unintelligent, but Elisa, is so much smarter than any of us, smarter than her father too, so no one exactly sure where that came from, and Daniel doesn't have children. At least none of his own, but he thinks of the kids he teachers as his children."

"That makes sense." Gabrielle said. We continued talking and soon it was time for bed. The journey went by quickly and soon we were in the village, near where the Temple was, we started inquiring about what was going on, the urn had already been stolen. That wasn't as strange as it sounded if I hadn't have waylaid them they might have already been here.

"Do you see her anywhere?" Xena asked.

"No…." We were in the same inn from the episode, having lunch was gruel. It wasn't a very nice inn. At least I didn't have to have milk. They told me I'd be drinking it whenever they could get it. they also didn't have anything here, that wasn't alcoholic, and Xena didn't trust the water, so Xena ordered me wine, while Gabrielle and Xena had Ale. The Greeks as a practice watered down their wine. So it was the least alcoholic drink they had. It was practically grape juice. It tasted like grape juice only with a slight alcoholic tint to it. it was barely noticeable.

"I see her, she's looking this way." I said after noticing a teenage Sherri Appleby looking like she was cosplaying for Mad Max: the Road Warrior, she's a pretty girl but she looks ridiculous in that outfit. I snort.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, you look good in your leathers, so does Gabrielle so did Athena and Artemis, but she looks like a little girl playing dress up in a Warlord clothes, a warlord with a very bad dress sense, now I may not be fond of leather, but it practical for the most part, but that outfit is ridiculous and so is here haircut those earrings."

Xena smiled. "You have a point, Ginevra, but I wouldn't point that out to her, if you don't want to get in a fight."

"My mother taught me manners Xena, I don't insult people to their faces, I do it behind their backs like everyone else." I said.

Gabrielle looked me. "I'd prefer you not insult people at all."

"The first time around you insulted her plenty, something about her being an obnoxious brat."

"I'm leaving, I'll be back. Remember to finish your meal, on the road we don't always have time to eat. And you'll be sitting here until you finish no matter how cold it gets, and cold gruel tastes about as good as it sounds." Xena left. I sighed and started eating washing each bite down with a tiny sip of wine.

"It's not so bad." Gabrielle said.

I shrugged. "I've eaten worse." MRE's came to mind. Hospital food. I focused on eating while keeping my secondary attention on Tara she came and sat near us.

"So, she your daughter? Your sister? Niece? Slave? Lover?"

"I'm her Ward, hers, and the woman who just left." I said to stop her guessing. "What's it to you. It's none of your business we're not bothering you."

"You're bothering me just sitting there."

"It's our fault you're like a small child, bothered by things that don't concern you." I said.

Gabrielle smacked the side of my leg. "Stop trying to help and eat your meal, I believe Xena told you, you would not be leaving the table until it was finished a decision I agree with."

She continued to insult and try to goad Gabrielle into fight and when that didn't work she threw ale, and gruel at her, and when that didn't work, she shoved Gabrielle, and when that didn't work she shoved me, that worked, Gabrielle would always protected a child, losing Solan and having Hope not be what she hoped, wrecked her, she instantly came alive, and went on the defensive, and knocked the crap out of Tara. Tara was sitting on the ground, some bruises, scratches, and a split lip, and a couple of bruised ribs. Xena came in.

"What happened?" Xena asked. Meaning this wasn't the plan.

"She shoved me, and something kinda snapped in Gabrielle, you know what you and Gabrielle are like when a child is at risk, _especially_ lately and _especially_ if it's a child you're responsible for." I said. "Other a scratches and bruises on both of them, Tara has a split lip which I don't think needs to be stitched, but She looks like she has some bruised ribs she's going to need to get those wrapped or breathing is going to painful for a while."

"Alright we need to get you two looked at, some on" She pulled Gabrielle aside and reassured her. I heard her words.

"You did nothing wrong, We're responsible for Ginevra she is ours, a child, an innocent, not that Tara isn't, but she was a threat, to that which we swore to protect, you may call yourself a bard, Gabrielle, you are just as much a warrior as you are a bard, you sensed a threat, to the child you care for, with everything we've been through as a warrior, as a childless mother, you couldn't allow her to harm Ginevra. You acted on pure instinct, and training. You didn't hurt her much, its nothing life-threatening or even disabling just painful."

We all went into the room we had rented the night before that we hadn't checked out of.

"Tara take off your shirt I need to check you out and bind your ribs." She does. "What made you attack….."

"I don't know….."

Sternly but softly. "You do know, attacking Gabrielle was one thing, it wasn't altogether right but I can understand but why attack a child?"

"I was trying to goad her into a fight."

"I understand why?"

"So, I could talk to you, about the urn I know where it is, and who has it? I can help you."

"Alright you're coming with us, Tara we won't tolerate this behavior again, you misbehave and I'll treat you the same way I treat Ginevra, which could mean writing lines or it could mean me turning you over my knee and giving you a spanking."

"You wouldn't? I'm a grown woman." Tara said.

"You're not acting like a grown woman Tara, you're acting like a child." She finished patching her up. "You're only bruised you'll be sore for several weeks, maybe a month and a half. Tara…" She placed her arm on Tara, and Tara began to cry, and Xena comforted her about her running with a gang and her abusive father, and the loss of her, her, and then went on their way.

They found the Urn, and got it back, it was not much like the episode, because No one got captured, Gabrielle, Tara, and I got the priest to use the urn on us.

"doesn't Xena want redemption."

I said. "She wants to work for it, to earn it, but she knows that no matter what she does to earn it, it will never be enough. Even when you're forgiven It doesn't wipe away what you did, you still need to make amends, I tried to explain that to Xena…."

"And what did you do, that was so bad." Tara said, as they sat on the temple steps."

"I hadn't done much at 12, but I wasn't always 12, I used to be 32, and I did things in those twenty years of life, that I'm not proud of, I was a solider, a lawman, there were things I did, things that I need redemption for….actions that I took that they in themselves don't need redemption but the consequences of those actions were further reaching….."

Gabrielle nodded. "Yes, that's happened to me, many times." Tara split off from then a few days later, and we all went on our way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four**

After We split from Tara, we went over the scroll of what I could remember of Xena and Gabrielle's adventures, I tell them about Titus the owner, and Leo his son and Rafe and Eldon the con men, Xena said they're meeting Joxer in Amfissa a seaport in the gulf of Corinth in a few weeks' time and that is probably where it will happen, they will just get there a few days early, but there is nothing they can do until then.

"What will we do in the meantime?" I asked.

"Well, Delphi, where temple of the Oracle is only a day's journey from Amfissa, we could go see what she has to say about you." Gabrielle said.

Xena nodded. "That's a good idea."

I said. "But we still have a week before we need to leave for Delphi, what do you want to do until then?"

"Well, what we like to do sometimes, when we have nowhere to be or nowhere to be right away is find a nice secluded camp site, and just stay there fish, hunt, swim, wash and mend clothes, drill. Not really go anywhere or do anything." Xena said. "We'll travel for a few days, get closer to Amfissa, and find one."

The first day of traveling went quite well, Gabrielle told me stories about Joxer to entertain me, including one about a Chariot race on Knossis on Crete that didn't happen on the series. It was a funny story. I told them stories from my life, including a story from my childhood about the time I had snuck a kitten home.

"And My dad comes to me, after he gone in my room to found the kitten, he says, Ginevra there's a kitten in your room. I looked at him completely straight faced. There is?" Gabrielle and Xena laughed. "I got to keep the Kitten, we took him to animal healer and made sure he was healthy, I was about the same age I am now, and he was blonde hair and blue eyed, so I named him Iolous."

I was on Argo behind Xena, and Gabrielle was on Midnight, she looked at me. "You named your kitten after Iolous."

"Well, by the time I left Iolous the cat was long gone, but yes. I always liked Iolous. He was one of my first celebrity crushes. Strong, kind, good guy, loyal funny best friend, that's my type, Alexander was that type, and so was my childhood sweetheart Noah. And most of the celebrities I had a crush on the character they portrayed was that type."

"You do know most actors, aren't much like the characters they play?" Xena said.

"I know that, and it's not like I ever think I'm going to meet the actual characters, well at least I didn't until recently. Now I very well could meet Iolous."

"You might, I can't wait to tell him the kitten story, he'll be very flattered." Gabrielle said.

"If you're trying to embarrass me you'll have to try harder than that, My sister Chloe used to see how embarrassed she could make people, you should hear some of things that came out of her mouth, nothing was off limits to her, nothing, sex, religion, childhood stories, bodily functions, she loved to make people turn red and stutter into silence."

"So you won't mind if I tell him the story."

"I don't mind if you really think he'll be flattered by me naming my cat after him is just going to annoy him, I'd rather you didn't."

Xena broke in. "We only see Iolous and Hercules once a year if that, it is not likely we're going to run into them in the next few weeks so this conversation is pointless, but I do think Iolous would not only be flattered but honored to have you name your cat after him, and to have been your first crush. He will not be annoyed in the least."

"What are we going to do about Titus?" I ask.

"Leave that to us, Ginevra, we're the adults."

"You know that really isn't in my nature."

"Well, you're going to have to learn."

"Xena do you think it's possible, Alexander was sent here too, that I could be reunited with him?"

"I don't know if you truly are soulmates it's a possibility, but not a certainty. Things get tricky when the Gods and Fates are involved. I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"Sometimes Hope is all you have." I said. "After all isn't that what was left when Pandora opened the box, and set free all the ills on the world."

Gabrielle nodded. "Yes, it was."

"Gabrielle, when am I going to learn more stuff, not that the handwriting and basic history, literature and Mathematics isn't fun."

She smiled. "Well, We're taught up to where you should be for a 12 year old, you're lucky Xena and I are educated not many people are, My parents may have been old fashioned and so was our village, but it had a school, and a school master who insisted teaching both boys and girls, and Xena's mother insisted her children learn as well,

We eventually get to a spot that Xena feels is good to stop for a while, we unpack, and I help take care of the horses and unpack, and gather firewood, and then Xena begins teaching me what certain vegetable and herbs look like in the wild, while she sets some snares and we gather the vegetables. We gather wild carrots, string beans, onions, Parsnips, and turnips, as well as thyme, and garlic, it was about noon when we stopped and the snared hadn't picked anything up, so Xena caught some fish, just like in the show she caught them with her hands. The wish was good, they also picked up some apples from some nearby tries and fries them up. It was good enough, we bathed and washed up, and swam for a while and got dressed, Xena put on a pair of leggings, and a tunic.

"What happened to your leathers?"

"I do have other clothes, I need to clean the leathers every once in awhile, I'm going to do that, now, while you and Gabrielle, wash both of your clothes, once they've been cleaned and they're dry we'll see if any of your clothes need to be mended and if any of them are too bad off that they're not worth mending. We always do this on our first day, to see if anything needs mending, if we're going to be camping longer then a few days, and then again on our second to last day."

"Makes sense."

"Glad you approve, go help Gabrielle." We washed all our clothes, towels, rags, and everything else, and set them on ropes hanging around the campsite.

"They'll be dry by tomorrow, and they'll we'll see if any of them need mending."

"Do you do this often?"

"Where we just find a spot and camp out for a while, more often than you think, every couple of months, I suppose. The life we lead can be very dangerous, and can wear you down; the danger, the threats, the violence, it's nice to get away, and not have to deal with anyone, to just be in your own little world for a while.'

"Yeah….." during our stay at our camp ground, I was taught to set snares, and used a bow and arrow, and butcher the meat, we made a ton of Venison Jerky, for the road, which Xena showed me how to cure, We washed the clothes again on our second to last day on the camp site, and then the next day, we packed up for Delphi, we were on the road, fairly quickly. It would be another 3 days or 4 days before we got to Delphi, but there seemed to be a lot of travelers on the road.

"Ginevra you need to do as we say without question, even if seems strange, and disobedience will result in a sore backside even if your actions result in no other negative consequences. With so many travelers on the road we can't be sure of anyone's intentions, and we need keep alert and on guard."

"There aren't that many, only three, and two of them were traveling together….."

"That's still more than we need so close to us, we need to be on guard."

"Okay, Xena. I understand, One of my favorite fictional characters favorite lines was constant Vigilance and if its one thing they teach in the army it's how to obey orders, I can obey an order even if I don't understand or particularly like it, I did for years in the army and on the force."

"Good, because I was serious about spanking you, if you disobeyed or misbehaved." Xena said.

"How much longer until we get to Delphi?"

"Another three days, or longer if it starts to rain and we have to seek shelter and wait out the storm, if we only have to wait out the storm and the roads aren't washed out only muddied it should only delay us a day, but if the storm washes out the roads, it could delay us by three or four days, up to a week depending on what route we have to take."

I looked at the sky, it did look like a storm was coming. "You don't travel in the rain?"

"if it was a life and death situation and we had to get somewhere quickly to save someone's life despite the weather, than we would. But We wouldn't risk our lives just to get to our next adventure that much faster, our lives aren't so hurried that we can't wait until a storm passes." Xena said.

"In my time the world is built for Humans, to do whatever they please no matter the weather."

"Well, we certainly don't live in a time like that, and no one but Gods, Kings, and Warlords don't whatever they please." Xena said.

"Most people in my time, don't either, at least people I knew, but they still were relatively comfortable day to day, life was made for them adapt to whatever they wanted in life."

"Again life here in this world doesn't work like that."

"I'm very aware of that."

They kept going for about another hour before there was a crack of thunder, and the rain started. Xena found them a cave, it had a place for a firepit, and ventilation, a overhang for the horses to be kept, and an underground spring. I marveled at how Xena always seemed to find these places. I helped her brush out and settle the horses, even if the rain let up it was late afternoon, two hours from when we would have stopped for the night. We still had the Jerky from last night, setting snares or going hunting was useless, but Xena went out anyway, I helped Gabrielle set up the camp.

"Where did Xena go?"

"We'll know when she gets back.

Meanwhile, in the village of Men and Centaurs, next the Telaquire Amazon village, a 13 year old boy had been found in the woods near the village, badly beaten, and in strips of clothes. They bandaged his wounds. He awoke. Tildas was sitting there, he recognized him from the episode of Xena Hooves and Harlots.

"I'm Tildus, What's your name Son?"

"Alexander, My wife….where is my wife?"

"What's your wife's name?

"Jennifer but in your language it would be Ginevra. We've only been married a few months. Please I need to find her." He pleaded.

"I don't know where to begin looking son. How old are you?"

"33."

"Because you look 13. What was the last thing you remember?"

"Going undercover, I'm a lawman to stop a slave ring…."

"It seems they got the best of you."

"But why de age and send me here."

"I'm not certain, the Gods work in mysterious ways, but you can stay here if we have your word you mean us no harm."

"I would never, Tildus, I may be shorter but I am still the same Honorable man I always was, I would never harm an innocent person."

"Mind of a grown man or not, you still live in a child's body and you need to be looked after, do you have any special gifts."

"I can cook very well, it was actually a hobby of mine and I have some minor carpentry skill, I was also a long distance runner, but I started when I was 13, but I wouldn't image this body built up enough strength and speed to be any good at it yet."

"You can stay with Licas, He's a good man he's married to an Amazon named Selene, and has two daughters about around your age, he heads the village kitchen, you can be his apprentice, he has two assistants Ellis and Akil, but they aren't interest in cooking or food in general they just don't have the skills to be placed anywhere else."

"That's fine." He nodded. "Can I go now?"

"You're still too badly wounded, to leave the healer's hut until morning, Young man." A 30 something man in grey tunic and dark grey leggings and black boots.

"Darrius." Tildus said.

"Tildus." He bowed to the leader of the village. "He can leave first thing in the morning."

Back in the cave, a 3 year ride from Delphi, Ginevra grabbed the ribs that Alexander had cracked and moaned in pain, and Xena and Gabrielle went to her.

"No, it's not me, it's I felt him, I felt Alexander, He's hurt, his ribs are cracked but he's alive somewhere."

"You felt his injuries."

"I've always known when he was hurt, but I've never felt them to that extent before…..to actually feel in pain I-I've never done that."

Back in the Centaur Village Healer's hut.

"Are you okay?" Darrius said.

"My Ginevra I feel her, I don't know how but I feel her. She's somewhere out there, and she still loves me." He holds his hand over his heart.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five**

I spend the rest of the rainy day, trying to sense Alexander again, but I couldn't, Well I couldn't sense his mood, or his pain, I could sense he existed that he was alive somewhere, and somehow that little bit of hope was enough to distract me. I had my eyes closed sitting on my bed roll, trying to sense him for hours, when a wooden bowl filled with a thick stew, and some bread appeared in front of me, of course they weren't just floating mid-air they were in the hands of Xena, who was towering over me.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Rabbit Stew, and some bread. I suggest you eat them, before they get cold."

"How?"

"We got Bread at our last stop, I'm still not entirely sure how Gabrielle warms them up on the road, as for the rabbit I have many skills, and you haven't exactly been paying attention today."

"Sorry." I dug in it was pretty good.

"Perfectly understandable. You realize even if we find him, we won't let anything happen between you until you're 16 right?"

"If he's still an adult, he won't touch me romantically until I'm 18. 18 is the age of majority in our world, and he would consider it a grave sin to touch me when he considers me still a child, if he's a child too, and we're close to the same you're going to have to work very hard to keep us apart once we hit 14 or 15."

"I'm sure. I remember being 15, I spent a quite few of my own heated moments with local boys before Cortese came."

"That's even if we can find him."

"The Gods didn't bring him here, for you two not to find each other, Ginevra, and I doubt he's still a full grown adult, when you've been shrunk, and reliving the tail end and hardest part of your childhood."

"I suppose your right."

"I do have many skills."

"Speaking of soul mates when you and Gabrielle have time to be with each other you can't neglect romance, Xena."

"Assure you we don't, why do you think we send you to bed so early."

"I thought that was because I wasn't used to the rigors of life in this time?"

"Oh, you need your sleep, Kid, don't get me wrong, but it probably wouldn't hurt to stay up once in a while, making you go to bed every night, well there's a reason for that." I laughed.

"You could tell me give me a few dinars and tell me to go get you something at the market, or catch a puppet show, that's what my parents used to do, when we were older, when we were little, they did the same things you're apparently doing, or they put some mindless kid addicting television show for us to watch, we'd get sucked in and they'd have an hour to themselves."

"I know you explained television to us, but I still don't see the entertainment value." Gabrielle said, joining them.

"I guess you have to see it to believe it." I said with a shrug. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

"Well, the rain's already letting up, but it's too late to go anywhere, so hopefully the roads will be safe to travel. We'll move on." Xena said.

"Sounds good, could we be delayed."

"If the roads are too muddy, it may delay us a day, but that won't happen. It only rained a few hours, so it should delay us most of morning, the roads should be dry enough to travel by Noon, unless there was a lot of wind and trees got knocked down and blocked the route, and then we might need to find another passage." Gabrielle said.

"There's was no wind, and hardly any thunder or lighting, it rained hard but not enough to bring down trees from the rain water along." Xena said. "It might have washed some of the smaller roads out but none of the ones we'll be traveling."

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" I asked.

"Well, it's getting late, I'll tell a few stories and then you'll get ready for bed and go to sleep."

"And then you and Xena will….."

Xena gave me a look, and Gabrielle spoke up. "Ginevra that's a line you don't want cross, you're 12 years old and that's not an appropriate thing to say. It comes out of your mouth you'll get a mouth full of soap, and you'll be sleeping on your stomach tonight, and I doubt riding tomorrow will be too comfortable either." My Mouth snapped shut like a dog snapping at flies. "Good girl. Finish your dinner."

"Yes, Gabrielle."

In the centaur village, Alexander was eating venison and vegetable stew. When Tildas, and another man came who looked a lot but not quite like, a Well Warn 30 something Dean Cain, only fully bearded, and wearing ancient Greek clothes.

"Alexander I want to hear your life Story, this is Licas he has agreed to be your guardian."

"Well, for starters, I was 33 years old, I'm a member of the Undercover Drug Unit, although the drug kingpin we're going after also deals in the slave trade and we were targeting one of his slave rings we were raiding one of human trafficking warehouses when I was caught in an explosion. My Wife there as backup she's a regular patrol officer, she deals with regular robbers, common street thugs, pick pockets, people who drive recklessly, people who get lost and need to ask for directions, lost kids. I've always felt her, but never so strongly. I felt her slipping away as I died. My life slipping away as well. Then I was in your forest, and when I woke I felt her, again. Stronger than ever."

"Then this is the work of the Gods. You felt your wife."

"Yes, I can feel her heart beating with mine, we are one, and it's strange, I'm sorry. I'm not making much sense am?"

"No you are, the question is can we trust you?" Tildas asked.

"I'm not sure what you're asking me. I would never harm an innocent person, and I would never harm anyone who didn't plan to cause myself or someone else harm. I've been on the Police Force for 12 years I've never once been disciplined for anything other than my spelling and grammar in my written reports which I admit is horrible, and I've been given several commendations and awards. When I was in the army, I was rose to the rank of Sergeant in the Military Police, which is the Army's Police and Security Force. Their investigative branch is Army Criminal Investigation Division, Which I wasn't a part of. When I got out of the army at 24, I joined the Police Department in my native New York."

"How did you meet your wife?"

"I was undercover in the drug unit and she arrested me, we kept running into each other while I was undercover, I kept flirting with her, and she kept shooting me down, when the operation was over I went to her Precinct house and introduced myself, with my real name, and she said I'd love to hear your story over coffee. I usually went by Alex, but once she heard the Story of how I protected and saved all those young girls, she too my hand I felt immediate connection and she look into my eyes I see my future and she said. You're your name means Protector of man your parents named you well Alexander. I won't be shortening your name, and I've been Alexander to her ever since. We began seeing each other pretty exclusively after that. I was her first, she's been pretty shy in high school, and she joined the army, was too afraid to start a relationship there, once she got back home, she went on plenty of first dates, but never met anyone worth a second look, and I had a temporary romances, but none were love, I'd had sex before, but in way she was my first, because she was the first time I made love. Neither one of has been with anyone since.

Licas grimaced. "I hate to point this out, we don't know how long it's been since you died, how many years between you dying and you both ending up here."

"She's too loyal a person, she would remain faithful to me, unless she found love again, but she….as loud and opinionated and clever as she is she's often afraid to truly put herself out there, to risk her heart which is the real reason I'm the only man she's ever been with no matter what she might tell you.

"She chose you." Licas said.

"And she always will. I can feel her now." Alexander said, he breathed calmly.

"Besides cooking, Carpentry, and running which you admit this body wouldn't be very good at what skills do you have?"

"Well, I know modern field army first aid, every solider is taught the basics, so is every police officer, I know hand to hand combat, knife throwing, several forms of modern martial as 2,000 years in the future, I know some engineering, all pretty basic stuff 2,000 years in the future, but here and now, it would be revolutionary."

"True."

"And you'll share what I teach you with the Amazons."

"Of course. I supposed you have information for them."

"Some I watched the Xena: Warrior Princess show pretty religiously I know most of the episodes, I have some warnings for them and for you, about what to avoid in the next couple years, but a lot of the warnings would best be given to Xena herself, then to the Amazons. And some would need to be given to other Amazon tribes."

"We'll work on that."

"You must think I'm Mad."

"Honestly I haven't decided yet."

"Is there anything I can do to prove this to you?"

"Can you tell me some things about Xena and Gabrielle?"

"Get Comfortable this will take a while." Alexander began at the Hercules Episode Warrior Princess and kept talking.

Back in the cave several days from Delphi, Gabrielle was telling her own tale about the Prometheus adventure. And Ginevra was listening and then looked thoughtful.

"But how do you know what was going on with Hercules and Xena you were down in the cave with a non-dying badly wounded Iolous."

"Xena told me later. Do you want to hear the story or not? The minotaur carries Xena high enough that she drops the sword at the exact right spot to strike the chain and free Prometheus, thus neither Xena nor Hercules strike themselves and neither are killed. Prometheus is freed, and Humanity gifts are back as they should be."

"You're very good Gabrielle, just as good as the producers of the live action TV Show I was riveted."

"Well, maybe next time you'll save all questions until the end."

"Another Story, one with Joxer?" I asked.

"No, You already got My Rite of caste Story and the Prometheus story, Two is the Limit, it's time to start getting ready for bed, go wash up, and use the Bushes, get drink, and change into your sleep shift."

"Yes ma'am." I responded the tone. Gabrielle had the tone of an officer, and I went about obeying her. I was under my sleep furs less than ten minutes later. I fell asleep almost instantly and when I woke it was that light grey almost pink time right before dawn. Xena was just getting back from her Perimeter check, and Gabrielle was still asleep.

"Hi, Xena, Good morning."

"Good morning Kid, I got some winter cherries, and some blackberries, on my perimeter check their ripe for picking and perfectly good. Thought they'd make a good breakfast, I mean we still have enough stuff just for breakfast but this will be nice too."

"Yeah. Hurry up and get washed up and dressed. I checked the roads they'll a little muddy but not bad, we shouldn't be delayed too long we need to get off and on the road no more than a candle mark after the run rises."

"So you'll be waking Gabrielle then."

"Yes."

I got quickly washed up, and dressed, when I came back. Gabrielle and Xena were hugging. They broke apart. Gabrielle spoke. "Hey, Morning, Ginevra, I'm just going to get the stew simmering and then I'm going to get washed up and dressed."

Like Xena said we were on the road, not long after first light. They introduced me to Ancient Greek Travel games. Apparently 20 Questions was invented in Ancient Greece, and Another Question game is called who am I? Which is a similar game. You come up a famous person from either Literature, one of the Gods, or politics, and the other person has to guess who they are. By asking and you answering yes or no questions. I taught them I Spy, the song that doesn't end which they didn't appreciate. Because apparently it's even more annoying in Ancient Greek, something about the language throws off the cadence making it more annoying, after that Gabrielle just told more stories. Eventually we stopped for lunch, which was Venison Jerky and bread, we fed and watered the horses, rested for about half an hour and I switched from riding with Gabrielle to riding with Xena and we went on our way. About Half an hour into the second leg of the way, I started singing Alexander and mine's wedding song. The Monkees's classic I'm a Believer. Which believe it or not is our song. We're not normal in any sense of the word. We have two songs I'm a Believer, by the Monkees, which Alexander sung to me at our wedding, and I sung At Last, we danced together, to Christina Perri's Arms,

"I thought Love was only true in fairy tales, made for someone else but not for me, Love was out to get me, that's the way it seemed, disappointment haunted all my dreams.

Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer, not a trace of doubt in my mind, I'm in love, I'm a believer, I couldn't leaver, no not if I tried.

I thought love or more or a less a giving thing, it seems the more I gave the less I got, what's the use of trying, when all you get is pain, when I needed sunshine all I got is rain.

Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer, not a trace doubt in my mind, I'm in love, I'm a believer, I couldn't leave her, no not if I tried.

Love was out to get me that's way it seemed, disappointment haunted all my dreams, what's the use of trying, all you get pain when I needed sunshine, I got rain.

But then I saw her face, now I'm a believer, not a trace of doubt in my mind, I'm in love, I'm a believer, and I couldn't leave her, no not if I tried." I sang and then started to cry.

"That was beautiful, why did you start crying."

"Alexander sang that to us on our wedding day, and every year on our anniversary, and whenever we went out to taverns with Karaoke, that is places where amateur performers could sing on stage."

"We have those here." Gabrielle said. "In bigger villages sometimes, but mostly cities."

"I sang to him too, At last, both Do you want to hear it."

"Yes, if it won't cause you too much pain?" Gabrielle said.

"At land my love come along, My Lonely days are over, and My Life is like song, Oh Yeah,

At last the Skies above are Blue.

My Heart was wrapped up Clover the Night I looked at you.

I found a dream that I could speak to.

A dream that I could call my own

A thrill I could press cheek too.

A thrill I have never known, oh yeah

You smiled, oh Smiled, and the Spell was cast.

Here we are in Heaven,

For you are my At last." Tears form in my eyes but don't spill.

"That was beautiful but what's heaven?" Gabrielle asked.

"An eternal paradise like the Elysian fields." I said. "It's more complicated than because it also supposedly houses the Gods of the major three religions of Christianity which is what I was raised with, or Judaism which is the religion the Israelites beliefs evolve into, and Islam, which is other of major three religions in my time, also believe in heaven. Although in this instance it was used as a Metaphor for a paradise."

"Makes sense, Can You still feel him." Gabrielle asked.

"In the back of my mind but the more I try to feel it the further it gets away, I can always feel it, but it's harder to sense the more I try and when I'm not concentrating if put my hand over heart to feel my heart beat, I feel two hearts beating, but when I concentrate on the heart beats there's only one."

"We will find him Ginevra."

"It's not that not only that, I love and miss him, but why him, why only him. There were plenty of other people from my world I would like to see again.'"

Xena answered. "Because he's your soulmate one can't exist without the other."

"Still it would be nice if Daniel could be here, or some of my other family, I miss them, but the again I don't want them to have to die and miss out on their lives there, but my cousin Antonia who died already, It'd be nice to see her, and I won't even get to see them when I die again because this is another world."

"I'm Sorry Ginevra, but we'll be here for you, and so will the rest of our family, all our friends." Gabrielle said.

"Thanks Gabrielle."

We rode in silence for a while, and came across, a wagon stuck in the mud, I had seen this one in a Xena fan fic, but said nothing at the irony. There were three girls, One about 19, one 14 of 15, and one about 12. A wagon, and large grey horse with a white mane.

"Can we be of help?"

"Yes, it seems like our wagon is stuck?" Xena directed them to get the wagon out of the mud.

"Headed to Delphi?"

"Yes, we're on our way, to stay with our Aunt and Uncle who have a Parchment shop in Delphi. They promised me and my middle sister jobs, and our youngest sister can go to school."

"I'm Xena." Xena said extending her hand. The woman took it.

"Della. These Charis and Cora."

"This is Gabrielle, and Ginevra."

"It's nice to meet you."

"It's about two and half days travel to Delphi, We should get there about supper time day after tomorrow, and do you want to travel together." Xena asked.

"If you don't mind." Della said. "

"No, we don't mind, we could use the company."

We headed off. "So where are you from?" Gabrielle asked.

"Lamia, We're headed to Delphi, our father was a parchment maker as well, they learned from their father who had a shop in Delphi but he fell in love with my mother who was from Lamia so he followed her to her home village." The 12 year old Cora said. "So why are you going to Delphi?"

"We're just meeting with someone before we move onto Amfissa, we travel a lot mostly helping people but sometimes we just meet with someone and just talk to them." Xena said. Well that's certainly true. Not the whole truth mind you, but it was absolutely a true statement.

"Oh, Wait you're Xena Warrior Princess and Gabrielle the Bard!" Charis said.

"Yes, we are." Xena said.

"But why are you traveling with a kid?" Cora asked.

"I met up with them in this little village I don't even know the name of, I was far from home and had nowhere else to go, and I kind of refused to leave them, they were all I had and I cling to them, they must have liked me, because they didn't ditch me at an orphanage." I shrug and put enough teasing humor and voice for it be taken as either a joke or the truth. It was the truth after all, just with massive editing done to the plot of the story. Gabrielle had come up with this version since it was basically the truth just with the Gods and fates left out of it. That was not something we wanted most people to know. I wasn't sure why we've told anyone at all. It could be dangerous if it gets out, Xena suddenly decided one night after we left the inn we were staying at when I first arrived.

"We agreed to keep her with us, she is under our protection and care, and she has rules in place to keep her safe, including obeying our orders, and doing her share of the chores, and consequences when breaks those rules" Xena said.

I blush. "Xena."

"Ginevra, all three our new friends understand about consequences."

Della spoke. "Of course we do, and it's nothing to be ashamed of."

I began telling a story to pass the time, a reworked version of the Harry Potter, I managed the four books well most of the fourth book, up until the Yule ball, in great detail before it was time to stop for the night. I was never a Harry Potter Fanatic like others were but I liked the movies, and I read the books enough that I knew the details but it's not like I'm obsessed, or anything, although before I met my husband I did have a definite crush the Book Version of Ron. The Movie version doesn't show the best side of him. He was still a good guy, and a loyal friend, and Rupert Grant grew up pretty good looking, but the movies on occasion made him seem like a jealous small minded jerk at times. We got to the camp sight and I did my chores with efficient practiced ease. As we were near a pond we had fish for dinner, lots of fish. Xena taught me how to clean them. And we brought them to Gabrielle, who taught me how to help her cook.

"We really appreciate this Xena." Della said. As they were eating.

"It's no problem." Xena said.

"Well, we feel we must do something to repay you. We have some parchment, scrolls, ink and quills, since Gabrielle is a bard perhaps she'd like them." Della said. "We even have some leather bound tomes. Those are never big sellers so we have several of those."

Gabrielle nodded. "That's fine Della, it's not necessary but if you feel you must."

"Can I have one of the leather bound books?" I ask.

Gabrielle laughed. "If you want. Speaking of writing don't think you've gotten out of doing your scrolls, you'll do them after we've cleaned up Supper, Ginevra." Her voice was both casual and serious. I shrugged.

"I figured." I nod. After we all finished, Charis and Cora helped me clean up. After dinner was cleaned up, Gabrielle handed me a scroll, ink and quill. And settled me, near the fire. I was to copy one of her scrolls, this one was about when they faced the Persian army. I copied it like I was told, after I was done, Gabrielle looked it over.

"Your handwriting is getting better, Ginevra."

"But it still needs work."

"It's better than my sister, Lila's handwriting Ginevra, and its way better than Joker's." She said with a shrug. "It just needs some more work. Tomorrow you'll be working on mathematics." I groan. "I know, but you need to learn it, Ginevra."

"I know math well enough in English." I whispered.

"You're not in your own world anymore. You're in ours, and while you may not need the higher mathematics you explained to me, you need to know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. And handle money if you're going to get through life with people taking advantage of you. Now we already explained the difference between a Bronze Dinar, a Silver Dinar and a Gold Dinar."

"Bronze Dinar is half a Dinar, Silver Dinar is one Dinar, and Gold Dinar is either worth five dinars.

"That's right. And you have some bronze and silver of your own that you earned at that inn."

"Yeah, not a lot but one Bronze, and three Silver." I nodded. "It was nice of Ariana to give them me since technically helping her was supposed to be a punishment, and I have a few more Silver, Bronze, and two Gold, in case I need to rent a room and wait for you somewhere, and you haven't given me dinars before we separated. I don't see why I have to learn how to do your math, I can do my math in my head just fine."

"You will learn it Ginevra it's important." Gabrielle said.

Xena interrupted before an argument could ensue and sleeping tonight and riding tomorrow would be uncomfortable. "I think it's time the kids start getting ready for bed, change into your shifts and get into your bed rolls, and Gabrielle well tell you a story and then do your best to sleep, we got an early day tomorrow. We won't be far behind you."

Della spoke. "Xena's right Charis and Cora you should be getting ready for bed." I shrugged I knew this was coming, and I went to wash up, and change. I changed into my shift, and went to bushes and washed up, and went to my bed roll. Charis and Cora did the same.

Gabrielle smiled. "Alright girls, tonight's story is about Me Meeting Xena….." She told the Story her Meeting Xena, and Xena saving her and her family from Slavers, and her following her, and Xena taking her back to her parents and Xena eventually agreeing to travel with her, and Gabrielle saving Xena's bacon at her Cyrene's. She didn't go into Xena and Cyrene's relationship. I'd have to ask about that, before I could think too much about that sleep pulled me under.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

 **N/A: I know, I know I deleted Episodes. But trust me these will be better, and six is almost identical, but trust me these are better for future plot development. As for setting King Con in Amfissa, they never said what city it was set in, and I needed to get them to Delphi to talk to the Oracle, and Apollo, and Amfissa is really close to Delphi. They're in the same area. And as I said they never said where King Con took place in Canon so it might have taken place in Amfissa. I also changed her last name to Brennan, which means little Raven.**

I woke up early the next morning, well not too early, but things had change in my sleep I had been visited by Athena.

 _Hello, Ginevra, or should I say Corporal Byrne. You know Your name when traced back to your original ancestor Brion, which means Raven."_

 _"How do you know this How?"_

 _"I am the goddess of Wisdom. Now I am granting you certain knowledge and skills. They are not knowledge and skills you don't already possess, I am just allowing knowledge and skills, that you have already learned, that has already been taught to you, or trained into you, that you may have forgotten, that you may have allowed to become lax, to become stronger, more a part of your skill set, allowing them to become solid, so may rely on them, and they can perhaps save your life. As Goddess of Wisdom of wisdom this is one my skills, although not one I get to use very often." She smirked at me._

 _"I have the feeling you have more to tell me."_

 _"Alexander and You have a path together a destiny, an important one, and while you'll see each other before then you must not be reunited and truly be together as husband and wife before you are 16, and he is 17. He has also been made younger. He is with the village of Centaurs and Men next to the Telaquire Amazon Tribe, he is being well taken care of."_

 _"What is this Destiny?"_

 _"I haven't been told that only that you cannot consummate your marriage until the night of Summer Solstice you are 16, and he is 17, and you cannot permanently reunite until you have Gabrielle's Blessing."_

 _"That's oddly specific, and why Gabrielle's Blessing."_

 _"That's what I was told by the Fates. I've long since stopped trying to understand the things they say. It saves much needed headaches, and while we do not get injured or die, Gods do get headaches."_

 _"An Interesting fact, but nowhere near relevant."_

 _"You speak to your Goddess this way?" Athena asked amused._

 _"I was raised Catholic, you should see how we treat our own God, An Inconvenience, an Obligation, a burden, a Stick to beat others over the head with to make them agree with us but only when it's convenient, we also use our God's name is vain more often than any other people on the planet not me personally, because you get your mouth washed out enough times as a kid, you learn not to do certain things."_

 _Athena laughed. "As well you should, You Should not take a God's name in vain, Ginevra, you never know who might be listening. I have to leave here, when you wake up, you will be running a slight fever, hosting me has caused it."_

I woke up, I was shivering, and I was still in the sleeping furs that was my bedrolls. I had a cool wet towel on my head. I looked Gabrielle was kneeled next to me.

"Ginevra you're running a slight fever, Xena is making you some tea, you need to drink. It's already late morning, the others have moved on without us."

"Athena came to me last night." I whispered hoarsely. "Hosting her inside my mind, caused the fever. She didn't tell me how long it would last, she told me some things, I can't remember them now, and can I have some water?"

"Yes." She gave me some water from the metal cup instead of the water skin.

Xena came into the camp, with tea. "What can you remember about the vision?"

"Some of it doesn't seem important, at least not right now." I said softly.

"It's all important." Xena said she was insistent holding a very pungent tea.

"All my knowledge, I may have forgotten, or gotten lazy about, has been granted to me. I'm not sure if she could have given me knowledge I didn't have but she didn't she just gave me knowledge and skills, I already had." Xena nodded. "Alexander is at the Village of men and Centaurs, next to Gabrielle's tribe but we can't be together, not really until the Summer solstice I turn 16, she used the word consummate, and we can't reunite permanently until Gabrielle gives her blessing."

"Why My blessing?" Gabrielle.

"I don't know." I tried sitting up, but struggled. Xena pushed me back down.

"What part don't you think is important?"

"I told you about Family names, and given names."

Xena nodded. "Yes. Some of Descriptive of a person the original ancestor their occupation or the place they lived."

"Mine means Raven, which I'm sure will come back to haunt me at some point. I was known as by my family name in the army, but in the Department there were so many of us, so they tended to call me Gin, or

"

"Interesting, but we really need to get you feeling better…..I made you some tea, to help your fever."

"This is going to taste like swamp water isn't it?" I asked.

Gabrielle snorted. "Yes."

Xena hissed. "Gabrielle….." then raised her voice. "You have to drink it Ginevra, fevers can be dangerous, even though you don't seem to have any other symptoms, we can't risk this moving into your head or your chest." Xena said.

"Okay." A few minutes later, she handed me the tea. She handed me the drink, and downed it quickly, like a shot. Those Saturday nights at Fort Campbell and Fort Bragg, were not wasted. It honestly didn't taste as horrible as expected. Not as bad as my brother's meatloaf. It's a Stereotype that all gay men can cook. Daniel has mastered Betty Crocker brownie and cake mixes, and Frozen Lasagna, that's about it. But his roommate Rebecca is a sous-chef so he lucked out there. Alexander was a hobby chef so I always had amazing meals, and I learned from him.

"That was smart it doesn't taste quite so horrible when you down it like that." Xena said. "You need to rest for a while. Della, and her sisters already left, we're going to stay in camp for another day, and if your fever doesn't break, we'll ride a head we'll bundle you up as best we can and keep riding."

"Makes sense. You moved me closer to the fire." I said.

"We have to keep you warm, remember to drink." Xena said.

I went back to sleep and had more dreams, these were visions, memories of how I learned my old new skills. My camping and other wilderness school in girl schools, sewing, and first aid, the wilderness survival course I took when I was 16, the swimming classes and water safety course at the Y, all the martial arts, and hand to hand combat courses, the field medic classes, the engineer skills, the carpentry and handy man stuff my dad taught me, the astronomy I learned in school, all the stuff in basic training, All the Greek Mythology I learned in School, and on the Internet. It was a little stronger, a little surer, the skills were there, all those martial arts competitions I'd been in, were fresh in not only my memories, but in my muscle memory. I woke up. And it was about noon. I could tell how to the sun was burning bright in the sky, and Gabrielle's hand was on my forehead.

"Your fever's completely broke. How do you feel?"

"Better, I still ache some, but I don't feel sick, and I'm hungry."

"Xena set snares while you were sleeping and I have had a stew going, and we're drying the rest of the meet, it's too late in the day to leave now, even if we believed you were well enough but you still need to rest. If Xena thinks you're well enough we'll leave in the morning, we're also all taking baths as soon as we have Noon meal."

"I won't object to that, it's been a few days, since we've managed a bath, not to say I've never gone a week without a bath, but in civilian life I got soft I'm used once, sometimes twice a day." Off her look. "I know given the world we now live in it seems like a waste of resources, but in my society unless you're very poor, or a in or Police Officer on a Mission and bathing every day, is not really possible, people expect you to bathe every day and look down on those who don't smell like they do. And sometimes work got particularly messy, and I had to bathe afterwards."

Gabrielle nodded. "Makes sense, you can sit up but stay on your bed roll. If you get dizzy or anything you need to be able to lay right back down."

"Yes, Ma'am." She brought me a bowl of Stew it was Venison, onions, and turnips today. I dug in I hadn't had anything in my stomach since dinner, and it smelled pretty good. There was enough for now, tonight and tomorrow morning and enough to make dried meat, I wonder how big the deer she killed was.

"We'll be doing laundry while we're here also. Meaning me and Gabrielle, you are not to do anything but rest, if we think you're better you may work on some scrolls after your bath, but the most strenuous thing you are doing today is bathing." Xena said. "And By bathing I just mean bathing you're not going to swim today."

"Xena, I feel like I'm being punished it's hot today."

"You were sick, we can't risk you getting sicker. I know you're fever was due to the vision that Athena gave you but even if that's the case you need to rest, and don't think of disobeying me."

"You wouldn't spank me in this condition, would you?"

"No, but I might decide you need several days of early bedtimes, and being confined to your bedrolls to rest instead of just today." She said.

"You Win."

"Good girl. Now eat your Stew." I ate my Stew and asked for Seconds which was given to me. Then we bathed and I was dressed. Laundry was done and I was given scrolls to write, which took up most of the afternoon, eventually dinner came around, and then Gabrielle told stories, David and the Giant, and Xena, Hercules her and Iolous going to save humanity when the Gods imprisoned Prometheus and then I was told it was time for bed, I was given different swamp water tea, this one that tasted a little like Moss, and sent to sleep, I feel asleep almost immediately. I woke up my normal time the next morning, completely better. Used the bushed, washed up, and changed. Xena was just getting back from her Perimeter check. She smiled at me.

"You look better."

"I am better. Xena, its summer right?"

"It's still spring…..it won't be summer for another Moon, why….."

"I'm trying to figure out when My Birthday is. My Birthday is usually the week before the Summer Solstice."

"Then you're still 11, and will be turning 12 soon, Little Raven, but we need to get you some clothes we only got you the basics the last time." Xena said. "Gabrielle will insist on taking you shopping."

"I don't need anything Xena."

"As the adult I say you do."

"Xena, I'm kind of scared, I'm not sure I'm ready to face whatever's coming….."

"You will be." We left and began traveling. Gabrielle entertaining us with her stories. I taught them some songs, from my time. And told a few stories of my own. We stopped early, because they wanted to get some scrolls writing in and then they wanted me to go to bed early, and there wasn't much I could do about it.

Meanwhile, in the centaur village. Alexander was cooking, breakfast, with Licas, Akil, Ellis, and Missing is wife, greatly. But he knew he would be reunited with her as soon as Xena and Gabrielle brought her to the Amazon village. He knew that much, he just wasn't sure how. He had helped the Centaurs, and Amazons trade for spices, and herbs and start a gardens, and Engineer several modern conveniences, he wasn't the engineering genius he wife was, How she had never been transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers astounded him, she had the skills, and knowledge. But when he came to cars, she was just that good. She could make any army vehicle run for another few weeks, or miles, or that much longer when no one else could, and in the army, that kind of thing was measured like liquid gold. She could make supplies last longer, and do a patch job, with minimal supplies in the field. They weren't about to transfer her somewhere else, contrary to what most people thing, the army does on occasion know what they're doing and a mechanic who can make army vehicles last longer, in places where supplies were short, and so was time and money, was not something the brass was going to give up, even though she only had two deployments. And the rest of the time she worked in the motor pool at Fort Campbell and Bragg. He found it funny she spend her entire career with the Airborne when she never jumped out of a plane in her entire life. She didn't think of it much. Even for support staff, sometimes that's the way it was in the army. But she liked being a Mechanic, and she liked being a cop when she got out of the army. And she was a good at both.

I was thinking of Alexander, I know he missed me as much as I missed him. We had finally gotten to Delphi. We were going to go to the Temple tomorrow, or the next day. Right now, I was forced to go shopping with Gabrielle, who was very excited. I however was not, I was never much of a shopper, and even less of one now. I didn't mind getting the essentials, although back home I liked internet shopping more than I care to admit, an Ancient Greek Market was not all like Internet Shopping. Gabrielle and I stepped up to a clothing Merchant, Xena had gone off somewhere.

"She needs some tops, skirts, pants, shifts…."

"Gabrielle, is this necessary? I have four shirts, one skirt, two pairs of pants, and two shifts that should be plenty." I was definitely not whining.

"Ginevra, those clothes were bought second hand and were already fairly worn when we bought them, and while they are sufficient they really aren't enough when we don't have enough time to stop launder all the time, it's your birthday and we have the money to spend, so stop worrying about it. I promise we won't get more than a few of each item, and I am a very good bargainer, and I won't spend too many dinars on you if that's what you're worried about."

"I just don't see why it's necessary."

"Because I'm the adult and I say so, and stop whining."

"I wasn't whining."

"Ginevra." There was a warning tone I remember from my childhood, and both hands automatically went to my ass in protection. Gabrielle saw what I was doing and she laughed.

"I'm not going to tan you, Ginevra or even swat you, but it's good to know you recognize that that's a threat because it is." We got the clothes we needed, and some meat pies for lunch, before negotiating for Argo to be put in a Stable, and then we went to the smaller, and definitely cleaner of the town's inns.

"Hello, I am Polidora." The woman reminded me of Professor Sprout, only much cleaner, and not quite as round, but just as short, and she has the same grey flyway hair, and friendly kind jovial manner.

"I'm Gabrielle, and we need a room with two beds, and access to bathing room"

"Well, I have I have a room with two beds, both are big enough for two people, will you need a pallet as well?"

"There are just three of us two beds is plenty, does it have access to a bathing room."

"Yes of course all my rooms have access to the bathing room if you're willing to pay the bathing fee, which is a Bronze dinar a day, unless you take multiple baths or insist on private baths then, it's depends on the number of baths, or the number of bathers, I never used to have such a policy but I had a rather large wealthy family stay with me last month, and between all the separate baths I had to prepare I had hardly any time for anything else."

Gabrielle laughed. "I understand, and we will only be taking one bath every day, or every other day, and it will be all together, I doubt we'll take more than that, unless one of us is unfortunate enough to fall in the mud or something."

"You had to say it." Ginevra said.

"What are you talking about?"

"You taunted Murphy."

"Who is Murphy?" Gabrielle asked.

"Where I come from Murphy is the God of Coincidences, chaos bad luck, and misfortune." I said.

Polidora nodded. "If that is what is he the god of that's good advice. We'll get settled on a price."

They settled on a price, and it was already nearly supper time, we got to the room and unpacked, we bathed, and dressed for the rest of the night and settled, we ate supper a fish and clam stew that was more like a bisque, and Gabrielle didn't trust the water, so I was given wine but since the Greeks watered down their wine it wasn't a big deal. Gabrielle told stories which quickly got around town and soon the small inn was packed, I only got to stay for two stories before I was sent up to bed. I slept comfortably and deeply, before I woke up the next morning. We dressed and ate, a filling but not particularly tasty porridge for breakfast, but there was wine, and some seasonal fruit, and nuts. Then we left for Apollo's temple. But would be back. When we got there, we were taken immediately to see the Oracle.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

 **Author's Note: Once Again I don't own Xena: Warrior Princess. Or any other show, movie, book or song mentioned. There are only minor edits in this chapter, from the chapter seven posted previously.**

We arrived at the temple of Apollo and was immediately taken to see the Oracle, I know Xena did some checking the day we arrived, and some other times. The Oracle happily reminded me nothing of either Sybil Trelawney, or Anyone from Drusilla the Mad, but I was reminded slightly of Sane River Tam. I wasn't sure what to do with that information. Although in looks, she reminded me in looks of Rebecca Gay heart, when she was in her mid-20s, even if her attitude, and the power and strength she was exuding was something of X-Men Movie's Jean Grey, but her heart I could tell was pure, something akin to Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Tara McClay, or my own brother Daniel. There a very few people in the world with such pure hearts, untouched by the darkness of humanity. Her given name was Calliope.

"Did you like what you saw?" The Oracle chuckled.

"How did I do that?" I asked. "I don't think I've ever done that before.

"You have on your own worse, access people, and used your knowing power to do, your powers just weren't so advanced in your world. Please have a seat." We did, there were wooden chairs in front of her I wouldn't call it a throne but it was a very ornate chair.

"Now what are you talking about?" Xena asked.

"All Seers, have the gift of Seeing, they have visions, they see things, the future, the past, Some have the gift of knowing, simply knowing what is, or was, the truly unlucky have the gift of Prophesy, You need all three to be an Oracle of Delphi. Ginevra, has the first two, and will develop the third as she gets older."

"I won't stay, and you can't make me." I don't think I could have sounded more like a child if I was stopping my foot and whining.

"I'm going to ask, Xena and Gabrielle leave you with me, while they deal with Joxer, and Cesar which should take most of the summer and then come back for you."

"We need some assurances from you." Xena said.

"She will be taken care of. the priests here do not take advantage of the children who live here, Apollo doesn't allow it, there is Corporal punishment but as she would be my personal guest, any misbehavior I would be the one expected to punish her, and while I would be required to punish her it would be entirely at my discretion unless she vandalized one of the idols or blatantly interrupted one of the services than the priests would require I paddle or switch her, but they still wouldn't want to do it themselves. The Priests themselves rarely lower themselves to interact with the children who live here, except for Lucian and that's only because he's more of a Priest of Asclepius, and the temple Healer."

We talked awhile and it was decided I would not stay for the summer, I would stay for however long it took them to find and help Joxer, and then they would take me to the Amazons while they went to Gaul and dealt with Caesar, and I would listen and obey, because Calliope had a Hairbrush with my name on it, no shortage of chores to do, plenty of scrolls and Ink, and no short supply of perfectly good corners if I decided to misbehave. We left the Temple and I was upset I was ranting the entire way home, when got to the inn, Gabrielle bent me slightly and gave my backside a dozen hard, heavy fast swats in the main room of the Inn. It was already burning and I wouldn't be surprised it was bruised even though I knew it wasn't. You don't get bruised from a dozen hard fast swats to the ass, unless you have anemia, or Leukemia and if I did then I had much bigger problems than a pissed off Amazon Queen. She righted me then Stooped slightly to look me in the eye because at my current height she was taller than me.

"You Young lady, obviously need a nap. Your behavior needs to be fixed, and if lying down and getting a Candle Mark's worth of sleep doesn't fix your behavior, I will fix it for you and you will not be happy when I do, do you understand?" She said looking me directly in the eye.

"Yes, Ma'am." I said I said contritely. She was right even my mother who despite her short fuse at the rest the world, for her kids had the patience of a saint would have swatted me for that display.

"Go, get into your shift and into bed, I will be in to tuck you in, in less than a quarter candle mark, if you haven't followed my instructions, Ginevra, you're taking that nap sleeping on your stomach."

"Yes, Ma'am."

I ran up the stairs.

Xena shook her head, and walked over, to Gabrielle. "Your Amazon Queen is showing, do want me to go make sure she followed your instructions?"

"No, I said I would do it, it I never thought she would behave the way she had today, Xena. I mean I imagined her wandering off at the Market, picking fights, trying to get into the action when we're in battle, sneaking into the alcohol at whatever inn we're staying at, not this."

"Well, I wouldn't discount any of the others, we knew this would happen we knew her child side would start to become stronger, I assume because of the gifts, Athena bestowed upon her so will her solider side, and they will just be separate, like your bard and your Amazon Queen Side."

"Xena if she isn't in her shift in that, Bed…"

"She is if nothing if not a good solider, Gabrielle. One who knows how to follow orders, more importantly she's smart enough not to make an already pissed off Amazon Queen who has the right to paddle her cherry red, any angrier."

Gabrielle snorted, then sighed. "After that performance she deserves it, and I never thought I'd say that. When I was her age I swore I'd never spank my kids no matter what they did…"

"Nose first in the corner nursing busted tail feathers, we all made swore that Gabrielle, but we grow up, and see the practicality in it."

Gabrielle laughed. "I should go upstairs."

I quickly stripped out of my leggings and top, and into my sleeping shift, I got a drink from the water pitcher in the room Polidora's was one of the nicest and cleanest inns we've stayed in, even if was also one of the smallest she only had her own room, a kitchen, a bathing room, the main room, a small barn with animals and horse stables, and three guest rooms all of which had two beds, and a Latrine, and lovely backyard and courtyard behind the inn. All three guest rooms had two beds, and most people who stayed there didn't get to pick either their room, or their bed mate. I felt really bad about my behavior, and I knew that when Xena and Gabrielle got back from Rome this was going to change the way they treated me. The Door opened and Gabrielle entered.

"I know what you're going to say, I acted a lot like a little kid today, and I'm Sorry."

"Yes, you did, Ginevra, Xena and I are going to want to have a talk with you, but for now go to sleep do you need to use the latrine before you take your nap?"

"No, Gabrielle." She tucked me, and I actually fell asleep, next I knew she was waking me up,

"No, Gabrielle sleep." I rolled onto my belly, and burrowed into the blankets, this wasn't a smart thing to do, she lifted up the blankets, and gave, me give stinging swats, they weren't particularly hard, but they weren't friendly either and after the swats I already got, they weren't exactly welcome. I yelped and rolled over onto my butt, and sat up.

"Good you're up." Gabrielle said. "Get dressed, you have scrolls to do, and before you do, Xena and I need to have a talk with you, go get dressed and go use the Latrine." I hesitated for a moment before I saw her hand twitch and then I got moving. When I got back from the Latrine, Xena and Gabrielle were seated on their bed, and I sat on mine.

"Ginevra, Xena and I decided we're going to start treating you a little bit more like a child, instead of an adult in a child's body, with the exception of making sure you got enough sleep, and made sure you were safe, we never really took the responsibility that you were a child seriously, like making you eat enough, or making you, do a scroll if you didn't actually feel like it, we let you do something else if you felt like it, but it stops, we're going to start treating you like you're actually 12, instead of 32."

I didn't think they treated me like I was 32, I thought they treated me like I was 12, maybe they were a little more lenient than My parents, more like my Aunt Diane's family.

"Xena, Gabrielle, you guys, are incredibly permissive like the way of most of my generation is with their kids as opposed to how their parents were permissive, but you treat me like a child, you don't ask my opinion about pretty anything, you give me orders you expect to me obeyed, there are random swats, and motherly affectionate pats, those wouldn't happen if you thought of me as an adult, you're just really permissive when it comes to parenting. Did you really think you treated me like an adult? You tuck me in at night, which is nice, and makes me feel safe, but if you thought of me an adult you wouldn't do that."

Xena chuckled. "I guess we wouldn't. Well, things need to change, we're going to get stricter, for today, and then when we come back from our journey."

"I'm still not sure how I feel about you being gone for months."

"The time will go by quickly, and Calliope is right it isn't safe for you when either with Titus or with Caesar and we need you to be safe."

"I still want to go with you."

"that isn't an option….."

I close my eyes using my knowing gift. "Once you leave me with the Amazons, Xena you'll be gone until it's almost time for winter, and you can settle either at the Inn, or at the Amazon Tribe for the winter."

"If it's for the whole Winter, it probably best we settle in with the tribe, you have skills you need to learn and Amazon need their Queen there every once in a while."

"And I want to see Alexander, he's staying with the Centaurs." I piped up.

"That's true, well when you told me the story about Caesar, Pompey, and Crassius Gabrielle and I had no choice, we'll come stay at either Mom's or the Amazon tribe for the rest of the Winter, when we're done."

"Okay, good."

Gabrielle nodded. "Now I think you have scrolls to work on. You better get to it." I did what I was told, and got the scrolls, done, dinner was some kind of boar stew. I knew Polidora didn't hunt herself but boat the meat from the Hunters, and Fisherman every day, or every few days, depending on how big a pot of stew she made. Afterward I was allowed to watch one story by Gabrielle and Xena told me to go sleep, I must not have been paying attention before because I said.

"Come on Xena, I want to hear another story." She pulled me up to a standing position and gave me half a dozen firm swats.

"It's not up for discussion, you go get ready for bed I'll be up to check on you in less than a quarter candle mark and if you're not ready for bed, we'll be having another discussion." She gave me a much gentler swat to get me moving.

I went upstairs, got undressed and put back on sleep shift, getting washed up in the basin of water that's in our room, like I said this is one of the nicer and cleaner inns, the rooms are also a bit smaller in size than the other places we've stayed, there's not a lot of room to maneuver in them, but it's very clean even the blankets and sheets are laundered more often the other places launder their blankets and sheets, and the floors, are not visibly dirty although they're probably not clean as floors in my time would be. Polidora's food is very hearty and there's always plenty of it, but unless it's fish, it's not very flavorful. I've known for a long time there's nothing in life is perfect. This is a nice, quiet, clean in, with a nice, friendly, and understanding hostess, so what if her food is a little bland, it isn't bad, it's just like eating plain rice or pasta with butter every meal. I'd rather have plain rice, than some of the stuff I ate in the army. That stuff was truly horrible. But you cook for 500 or 5000+ people, it's going not going to taste like it came out of a five Star restaurant. And then there were the MREs, which being a mechanic, I didn't usually have to eat, but was forced to once or twice. I'm not sure why they called them that they weren't meals, they weren't ready and you can't really eat them. But they do make impressive portable bombs if you get one of the Mexican meals. My Engineering skills were quite impressive, I did take the extra classes when I was learning the Mechanical stuff, and if I'd stayed in the army, if I'd Re-upped I was going to have my MOS changed and be transferred to Combat Engineers that's what I had planned to do, before I let my hitch time out and get my discharge. My father had just been shot, and been given a desk job, and My Paternal grandfather Sean had just been forced to retire being a the most decorated Police Inspector in the History of the NYPD after a major heart attack and a triple bypass. I was qualified for Combat Engineer and I would have made the transfer, but I was really needed at home. Xena came in and saw I was ready for bed, it was dark out but it had only been for about an hour which mean it was about 8 or 8:30, given the time of year. Xena made a big production of tucking me in. and it took me awhile to fall asleep, probably due to the nap, but I did.

The next morning, I was up, washed and dressed, and soon we were checking out of the inn, and on our way to the temple. I was nervous, we got there and we were greeted by the Temple Greeted. Sandra.

"I'll take you to Calliope's private rooms, she doesn't start seeing the public for another half a candle mark, she has small cabin, behind the temple, only the four senior priests really sleep in the temple, the rest of us have cabin or huts, on the grounds." She showed us to a little cabin that reminded me of the Beverly Hillbillies Cabin before they got the mansion. She knocked on the door. Calliope opened the door, she was in her robes, the cabin had a table and chairs, a hearth, a small coach, and two beds, there were in two little nooks but it all seemed to be one room.

"Please come in, Sandra, would you like to come in. I made some Fish soup." She said.

"No thank you, I had some porridge."

"Would you like some, I was a sailor's daughter for 13 years, if it's one thing I know how to do is fish and prepare fish."

"We already ate."

"Now, it's time to go over rules. While in the public rooms of the Temple itself, Ginevra needs to walk a step behind me, keep her eyes and head down, speak only when spoken to, and only in a low respectful tone, and use basic manners, if she'll be taken out of the Temple, by one of the guards and confined to my cabin. She won't be paddled for this, but if the behavior becomes a recurrent problem they will ask me to take care of, I've never spanked anyone before. I've never had a child as guest that I'm responsible for, but if it comes to that. I'll probably use my hand, or one of my wooden spoons, since that's what the last Oracle used on me, when I missed behave, it's only for a week, since you have plans to bring her to the Amazon village, and then go stay with your mother for a few days, and leave for Amphipolis, for Gaul."

"Yes." Xena said.

"You actually have more time than you realize, you will be allowed to visit the Amazons for a week and get Ginevra settled and even meet Alexander, and then travel the four days to Amphipolis, and stay with your mother for five day days before you leave for Gaul. You Will travel to Gaul move onto to Rome, it's important that you tell your mother about Ginevra, and that you stay with the Amazons over the winter months."

"We understand." Xena said. We said our good byes and they left.

"It's not so, bad here, and it's only for a week, now let's work on meditating. Find your happy place, besides Alexander, where you find most safe."

She closed her eyes, and found herself, back in her and Alexander's little apartment, after they managed to decorate it into something decent. She sat on the leather coach she got from her mother, that smelled like her father's old spice, and looked out the window she could see the Cuban Deli on the corner out the window, and suddenly the smell of Cafe Cubano filled her senses.

Although it never happened in real life, I conjured an image, if faded jeans, and my husbands oversized NYPD T-Shirt, hair in a ponytail, covered in grease, under the hood of her first car an old Crown Vic, her dad had gotten from police auction of her. It had been an unmarked sedan I breathed deep, and the scene changed. I was slightly older, well older than the body, I was in now. It wasn't much older, two years, maybe three, she had to be between 14 and 15. She got huge growth spurt between 12 and 14 and hit her adult height of 5'6, but the She that was me won't get her full breasts until she was until she was almost 17. She's definitely between the age of 14 and 15. There's a ceremony like the one in the episode where they learned about the Utma and the First Cyane, but without the blood and the horse, we're in the Telaquire tribe village, Gabrielle is dressed in her Queen Leathers, and Xena is there, and they're holding baby Eve, and I am there, and Ephiny, Eponin, Solari, and the others, And Artemis, Aphrodite, and Athena. They're all smiling. I see another vision, I am about to be married, I am about 20 years old, and Alexander is 21, Gabrielle and Tildas are performing the ceremony, they exchange beaded necklaces like most Amazons do. She isn't sure how she knows that. The next vision she receives they were 23 or about there, and they are fighting a group of thugs back to back. I carry matching Stilettos, and two matching Boot daggers, and he carries a large Battle axe and a Small Short sword. We fight together like Xena and Gabrielle used to. And move, and match like we belong together. When we're done a few are dead, the rest are broken, and then we go and free some women who are chained. I come out of the vision.

"Did you see what you were meant to see needed to see."

"All but the one thing I wished to see?'

"You growing old and having children with Alexander?"

"Yes."

"It's not out of the question, it's still in the cards as you used to say, but you have a destiny first."

"I figured, being send to a new world, in my younger self's body, after I died, the gods wouldn't do that, if I weren't meant for something."

"Good Point. Now it is time for me to meet with members of the public, please either stay in the private common areas of the grounds and temple."

"Because the Priests here while they educate, and protect the few children who are housed at on the grounds, they also do not want them interfering with their ability to reach and guide Apollo's followers. Stay away from the public areas, if you don't follow the rule, you'll most likely be escorted back to my cabin and asked to stay there, and if you leave my cabin after that, I will be forced to punish you."

"I wouldn't do that, Calliope, I'm your guest, and I was taught by my mother you do your best to make your host or hostess' life easier not harder while you're a guest in their home. I wouldn't intentionally go somewhere I wasn't supposed to. Are there signs?"

"Yes."

"Are they written in simple to understand Greek or Big complicated Words, because my Greek isn't very advanced?"

"Then I know where to take you." Before she went to see the public. She brought me to a library. She interrupted a robed man with brown hair and a brown beard.

"Pinito. This is Ginevra. She says she can't read very well."

"I've only been reading and writing in Greek several weeks, but I was gifted by the gods with the basic knowledge, it's about where someone who's been learning to read and write and do sums for about three of four years would be." I said.

Pinito. "That's a good start, more than a lot of people have, but if you really want to do well in this world, You'll need to be better and reading and Writing and doing Sums."

"I can do Sums and Mathematics very well, just not in Greek. It's not my first language."

He nodded. "What is, are you Roman?"

"American, English is my first language, but it won't exist for another 1,000 years or so. I'm from the future, the language I speak came to exist through a series of invasions on Brittana, My country was a colony of Brittana's, until it broke off and became its own country about 240 years ago, by the way, this all happened, 2,000 years in the future….I hadn't planned to say that….."

"Oracles, and you are an Oracle not a Seer, don't always have control over what comes out of their mouths."

"Can I use that, the next time, Gabrielle wants to swat me for my language?"

"I wouldn't count on it. Quick Eye."

I stayed with Pinito for hours learning how to read and write better, he said I had a better grasp of the language than I thought I did. I could read very well, probably close to most graduates of a typical village school, not Temple schools, or the academies but certainly any village school where they taught writing and writing, but my handwriting was simply atrocious, and I he would correct it if took the entire week I would be there. Apparently even though Gabrielle had, had me do scrolls she hadn't really been correctly them, so my handwriting hadn't improved. I never worked with a quill before, though I had used a fountain pen before. I had never used a dip pen, which is close enough to a Quill to develop the hand movement first thing Pinito did was correct the way I held the Quill, and then he spent four hours correcting my handwriting, and spelling. And then it was time for lunch or as they call it noon meal. It was what I'm pretty sure is Venison, carrot, onion, bean, and Wine stew, they definitely used wine in the gravy. It was pretty good. Then I had go to a Religious Service about Apollo. Which was nice enough. Then that night more Venison Wine Stew, and then I got to see a bit of an Impromptu jam session, and then Calliope was dragging me off to bed.

Meanwhile, in Amfissa, the few days, the plot was set, Joxer was not beat they had met him before he ever went there, so there was no revenge to be had. It was a grey areas, the Casino still needed to be dealt with but it would take longer, the three, Xena, Gabrielle, and Joxer who was surprisingly efficient of them took jobs in the Casino instead and took it down from the inside, it took a full week for their plan to come to a head, and the confrontation with Titus to happen, but it did. Leo was not killed but not smart enough to run the business kid younger brother would run the casino Herodes, nothing like his father or brother, and was an honest man, even if he would probably still water down the drinks he was a businessman after all.

And before they knew it, Gabrielle and Xena were on their way to Delphi. Joxer were on their way to another Village. I was having lunch, in the community dining hut. When Calliope came sitting next to me.

"They'll be here in a little over two hours….."

"I know….."

"Pinito, says your handwriting has vastly improved, and you read and do mathematics as well as someone who attended a Temple school. He didn't have time to work on Literature, History, or the History of the Gods, you were only here for a week, but when I told him you were going to stay at an Amazon village. And traveling with a Bard and Amazon Queen, he gave me extensive notes to give them. They're in the cabin."

"I appreciate his help. I don't like being considered uneducated.'

"You weren't for most people, you would have been considered educated. Most people aren't even as educated as you were."

"But not Amazons or most people I would know."

"No." She said. A few hours later. I was sitting in the garden. Doing a Staff drill by myself. When a voice came from behind me.

"I could show you another way to do that." It was Xena.

"We're not leaving until morning Xena, We have all afternoon. I'll show her some drills with my Staff." Gabrielle added.

"You're back!" I ran up and hugged them, Staff still in hand.

"Hey kid." Xena said.

"How'd it go?" I asked.

"Went fine." Gabrielle said. "We'll tell you about it on the road to the Amazon village, it didn't go anything like you said. Come on" She take out her staff. "I want to show you some things."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

 **N/A: I realize that most of this is from Ginevra's point of view, most of my stories are from the OC's, Point of view, but there will be more Xena/Gabrielle once, When in Rome is over. They'll have a while winter to get through at the Amazon camp. Then Xena, Gabrielle, and Ginevra will continue with Season 4, minus the Hope stuff, but with some extra twists and turns. Also if I owned Xena there'd be more Hercules and Iolous Crossovers.**

We left Delphi the next day, soon after breakfast. "So, what happened?"

"Well, we got there before Joxer could be beaten, we tried the heads on approach." Gabrielle said. "Instead of undercover, but it worked out in the end."

"Well, what happened?"

"Well, Xena had a talk with the Casino Owner's son, Leo and his friends, and then she spoke to the Casino owner Titus, to make a long story short, the casino is under new management the Casino Owner's brother Phillipos."

"You never make long stories short, Gabrielle, you're bard you live to tell stories…are you making this age appropriate…"

Xena spoke. "We told you we would treat you as a child, Ginevra and it's not as if you don't know the basics of what happened."

"I suppose." I grumbled.

Xena smiled. "I know we're horrible, for protecting you…."

"Not really, my mother tried to do the same but we always watched the violent TV shows and movies."

Gabrielle said. "Like our show."

"Yeah, well your show was more of a comedy/action. It was violent but they played a lot of the moments in between the violence off for laughs, or they sexed it up. They definitely tried to play up the relationship between the two of you"

Xena laughed. "Of course they did, no matter the time or universe, Sex, and violence sells. It's why Gabrielle's stories are so popular, and because she gets slightly aroused when really gets into telling a story, and all the men in the audience can tell."

"You'll tell me that, but you won't tell me what you did to Titus and Leo."

"You're 12 years old, Ginevra, puberty will weigh in on things before long if it hasn't already." Xena said. "There is a difference between protecting you from violence and letting you know the facts of life."

"If things run true to course it won't start until around Solstice this year." I said.

"And you know about such things, you were a solider, a lawman, you were married…"

"Yes."

"Then there is a difference." Xena said.

"I know about violence too." I said.

"Not, while I'm there to protect you, Ginevra and that's final." Xena said. I decided to sing the Song that doesn't end in Greek. Apparently it's more annoying in Greek. Xena yelled at me to be quiet. Then I made a clacking noise with my tongue every three minutes. That lasted about 45 minutes, until she growled at me, Then I asked her if we were there yet? I asked fifteen minutes later. Then she Xena cracked up.

"Ginevra are you trying to be annoying to get one of us to yell at you?" She asked.

"You both have the power to spank me. I need to know how far I can push you. This is safer than doing something stupid and dangerous."

"Well, nice to try but we wouldn't spank you for being annoying. We deal with Joxer and Salmoneus, and the Gods on a regular basis we're used to it." Xena said a smile in her voice.

"You could just ask." Gabrielle said.

"This seemed like a better idea."

"Your child is showing." Gabrielle said.

I blushed, though neither could see me. "Yeah, Sorry."

"Look, as long as you don't Lie, cheat, steal, put yourself in danger that couldn't be helped, defending yourself or others don't count, you were a solider protecting innocents is too engrained in you, but if you can see we got it under control you're too leave stay out of it. We wouldn't spank you for that, unless it became something you did on a regular basis, and this we'd have to revisit the consequences. The only hard and fast rule, is disobedience, No direct-disobedience, we know they'll be circumstances where you might have to bend the other rules if not break the other rules and we won't punish you for it. But we expect when we tell you do something or not do something, you obey, life on the road isn't safe it's to protect you, it could save your life. You don't know the dangers here, and it you're still a child, even if you have the memories of a solider, and lawman." Xena said.

"I feel like we've had this conversation." I said.

"Just making sure you understand." Xena said.

"You don't have to treat me like a child.'

"You are a child, Ginevra." Gabrielle pointed out.

"I suppose so. How about I tell the story today."

Gabrielle smiled from behind her looking at me. "If you want."

"Well, you weren't the only hour long series, and there were lots of other media, books those are like scrolls, and movies those are longer plays you go to a type of theatre to watch, so what kind of story do you want to hear?"

"I'd love to hear one of our adventures we haven't had yet." Xena said.

Ginevra smirked. This was going to be fun.

"And turns out Argo is the one that killed the bounty hunter and it was Self-defense Ravenica was going to kill her as a way to bring Xena in, so Discord leaves in a huff…and everyone managed to surprise Gabrielle, she didn't know it was a Birthday Party, and everyone involved celebrates her birth and has a good time eating Cyrene's wonderful food and having a good evening of laughter and stories with the friends and family gathered."

Gabrielle laughed. "Very good, I'll make a bard out of you yet."

Xena is thoughtful. "Do You know how long we have to wait until Ravenica comes after us?"

"After the Battle between the Amazons and Rome, when Brutus kills Ephiny, please keep that from happening, I always liked Ephiny, and Xenon goes a little off his rocker after his mother dies, even if he does find love with Borias granddaughter."

"We'll do everything in our power, to protect Ephiny and Xenon." Gabrielle said.

Xena nodded. "Of course we will."

"Unfortunately I don't know how much time passes between episode, I know my world it was about a year, on television season, but it could have been six months, it could have been two years, there's reason no way to know, and since all the episodes save one or two take places in Spring or summer, or early fall before the winter sets in, you're either hibernating like a bear, or they simply don't show those adventures. It may be longer. Especially since they don't tend to mention the Greek Months since the people in my time wouldn't know what they were, nor would the writers for that matter."

"And You know them?' Gabrielle asked.

"Yes, the Solstice is soon and my Birthday, and it's Skirophorian the last month of the year, and the last month of spring. I learned from my tutors in Delphi."

"Good, I think we should review the months." Gabrielle said.

"Alright. Gabrielle you really think I could meet Iolous I mean he was my first crush and I would like to meet him."

Xena smiled fondly and said. "I'm sure we can, Now the months."

"Well the first month of the year is Hekatombaion. It's the first month of Summer, and begins on the New Moon. Next Summer Month is Metageitnion, and then Bodromion, at the end of Bodromion is the Autumnal Equinox, After Bodromion, is the first month of Autumn, followed by Maimakterion, and Poseidon, then the Winter Solstice, and then the first day of Winter, Gamelion, Anthestrerion, Elaphebolion, then the Vernal Equinox and then Spring, Mounichion, then Thargelion and then Shirophorian again."

"Very good."

We were soon bedding down for the night. It took about 12 days before I was sick, of traveling by horseback across the Greece, we had camped a day's ride from the village. We managed to get to the outer border by 11. Then we got off and walked. By the time we were surrounded by Amazons including Ephiny, I made sure to make the Amazon symbol from peace that Gabrielle showed me even though I already knew it.

"My Queen, Welcome back. Who's the girl?"

"Ginevra. We're responsible for her, until she is old enough to be on her own, We'll discuss the rest in public." Gabrielle answered.

"My husband and I were soldiers and Lawmen we both died and we reborn children, we are meant to remarry and become great champions." I said with a shrug. Xena gave me a mighty swat. I refused to cry out but I rubbed my sore butt.

"What did Gabrielle just say? Do we need to have a discussion and listening and paying attention, Ginevra?" Xena said.

"No, Xena."

Ephiny laughed. "Being a mother looks good on you Xena. I already knew about Ginevra I met Alexander. If he'd managed to start puberty he'd be a good man, let's get into the village we hand off your horses and gather in the Queen's official hut. It's Noon we send out for some food."

Before I knew it we were in the Queen's hut, and I was sitting in a hard wooden chair, lunch had yet to be delivered. Xena and Gabrielle were filling in Ephiny. And Gabrielle told her I was to be her heir until another came along, and she and Gabrielle were going through a bonding ceremony.

"I don't want to be Princess." I said.

"It's been decided, you'll be adopted as our heir, and then when Eve, or any other children come you won't necessarily be the heir freeing you to marry Alexander and go on your adventures." Gabrielle said.

"Does that mean I stay here and train, instead of going on adventures with you?"

"During the winter, and during several weeks of in the summer spring and fall, yes, but you'll still be going on adventures with us." Xena answered.

"Okay."

The food trays came and we ate, it was some kind of stew. Then Eponin was called. She was told to test me.

"What are you trained in?"

"Well, before I was deaged, I was a solider. We were trained in hand to hand combat I can fight in what you would call Bare knuckle, or even Pankration." I spoke of the ancient Greek martial art. "And Both knife throwing and knife fighting, tracking, basic survival skills, Xena and Gabrielle filled in the survival skills and hunting skills, taught me how to hunt, and track better, and taught me to fight with a staff."

"Then we'll need to test them." We tested my Bare Knuckle, and Pankration first, and then my knife fighting and Knife throwing and then my staff fighting, and my tracking skills, and then my hunting skills. I bagged several rabbits, and birds with my bow and arrows, and butchered then properly.

"Can You set a snare?"

"Not well, Xena showed me but didn't give me instructions."

"Let me show you."

She taught me. then she returned me back to the Queen's official hut. Ephiny asked. "Well?"

"She'll find in fine with her peers she's at or above age range in all subjects, now she needs to be tested by Helen."

"Helen?"

"the teacher for the girls 7 to 15."

"That's going to be a little harder, I'm behind in current era subjects." I said. "My tutors at Delphi, and Gabrielle have been trying to catch me up. I was an adult, fully educated in my time, and a solider, who focused on things very similar to blacksmith but not a blacksmith because we don't use horses in the army anymore."

Ephiny nodded. "You still have this knowledge."

I nodded. "Yes. It's just translating it into Greek, or into something workable using current materials."

Xena snorted. "Ginevra create later."

"When can I see Alexander?"

Xena snorted again. "We'll see if we can arrange that, but you can see him before we leave."

Ephiny stood. "We should introduce you, to Helen so you can be tested."

I followed her out she pointed out the different huts, the healer's hut, the carpenter's hut, the blacksmith hut, the dining hut, the training huts, Alpha, Beta, and and Gamma, the tailor hut, the bathing huts, alpha and Beta, the parchment maker's hut, she pointed to the Amazon Mill, close down by the creek, the seer hut, the Archives, the training fields. "And this is the Amazon Nursery, the little girl school, and the Big girl school." Pointing out each building in succession. "The big girls school, is separated into two sessions the 10-12 year olds and 13-14 have the morning session, and then go to their after lessons, and the 7-9 year olds get taught in the afternoon, there's a lot less of them but they have more to learn. Ephiny knocks on the door. Helen is in the room in front of six students.

"Hello, Regent Ephiny, Queen Gabrielle to what do I owe this visit?" her voice was pleasant and polite.

"This is Ginevra, She's my and Xena's ward, she recently turned 12 we were wondering if you had the time to test her." Gabrielle asked.

"Of course, if the Queen will tell my Students some stories while I'm occupied."

Gabrielle smiled. "Of course, Regent Ephiny if you could stay. children, come and I will tell you how a young bard became an Amazon Princess. Regent

"Yay" they yelled and ran after her.

"Ginevra do you know to read and write?"

"Yes, Greek isn't my first language but Gabrielle has taught it to me, and so did my tutors when She and Xena left me at Delphi for a week or so."

Helen nodded. "What about Mathematics."

"I am proficient, I learned it first with different numbers, but I've been since been taught to use Greek Numbers, and I'm probably more advanced than your students, just not very fast in my calculations if I have to do them on Parchment because I have to translate them to Greek numbers before actually working them out."

"Sounds fair, what about Mythology."

"Gabrielle took care of that."

Helen's lips twitched. "Of course."

"Now, I'm from far into the future, somewhere between 2-3 thousand years, so I know some events that happen but not all and not necessarily in what order. History if written by the victors after all."

Helen nodded. "Of course, and that would be true of Amazon history true….."

"Until I met Gabrielle, I thought Amazons weren't real, just a story…"

"I see…..Well, then you'll probably need to be brought up to your year mates in history then."

"Mostly likely, and I won't even try to defend my handwriting, I've only recently begin writing with a quill, we used different writing implements when I come from they're easier to use. and some are voice activated you don't' need to write at all."

Both Women stared at her. Helen spoke first. "DO you have parchment ink and quills."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Get them out please, we'll begin our test."

Outside Gabrielle, had enthralled the children with her story telling. "And the Centaurs and Amazons signed a treaty."

Next she told the story of the first Cyane as told her by Ginevra and then Ephiny, and Ginevra exited with Helena who called her students back into the school house.

"How did you do?" Gabrielle asked.

"I was prepared well for everything but Amazon and Greek History."

"We need to get you settled, since you'll be living with Ephiny and we're leaving in a week, you should unpack at Ephiny's hut."

'Ephiny can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Are you and Eponin in a relationship?"

"Yes, she lives with me she was really there for me after Phantes died."

They retrieved both my satchels, the smaller one and the bigger one which contained clothes. As we were unpacking, Athena, Artemis, and Aphrodite appeared. Ephiny, Xena and Gabrielle stilled. I looked around.

"Hello, ladies. Welcome to my room."

Ephiny gave me a very hard swat I couldn't help myself from crying out. "Watch your tone, young lady."

"It's quite alright, Ephiny." Artemis said. "Now, we're going to gift some things to Ginevra."

Aphrodite stepped forward She produced a Satchel. "It has several pockets and each one, will hold an unlimited amount of items, no matter the size, so will the larger compartment of the satchel, and it will keep food fresh for months if need be." She handed it to me.

Artemis stepped forward "Next Weapons. You already have your Boot daggers, you'll have to learn a sword, even though when you're older you'll rarely use it." She produced a Xiphos, and two stilettos knives in their sheaves and handed them to Ephiny. "She must train with them, they will be her weapons when she becoming an adult."

Ephiny nods. "Of course."

"And I bring you a special Parchment." Athena said. Holding four scrolls. "One for Xena and Gabrielle, one for Ephiny, one for Alexander, and one for you, that you may communication to each other, write a letter to whom you wish and it will automatically appear on their parchment when they've finished reading it. And it entered into their mind, the parchment will blank.

"Lady Athena, Lady Artemis, Lady Aphrodite." I bowed my head. "I, Thank you all."

"That was a little much, Chicklet." Aphrodite said.

"Chicklet?" Artemis asks her.

"Theni tells me her family name means Raven but she's just a girl, not a grown Raven yet, Arte." Aphrodite said with a blinding smile.

"I suppose so."

Athena spoke. "We have one final gift. but it's not for Ginevra, it's for Gabrielle."

Artemis spoke. "We know how much of a disappointment Hope's nature, and paternity turned out to be for you, despite what the conception was like we know you were hoping for a normal child, to love, and pass your wisdom and training onto, and raise with Xena, or as normal as a child raised by you and Xena could be."

"But when she was just evil, it destroyed the hope you had for that." Aphrodite spoke. "So, we're going to give you a normal child. Well, as normal as a baby born to the warrior babe and my Sweet pea could be." Aphrodite laughs.

Artemis smiled. "We haven't done all the work, we've just allowed you to get pregnant when in the throws of passion with each other, You'll actually have to make the baby."

The look on Xena and Gabrielle's faces were priceless. Aphrodite laughed. "My Little Sweet pea will carry of course, but the rest is up to the fates….and the two of you."

Gabrielle's cheeks colored slightly, and Xena looked away. The next day, Ephiny woke me up, by banging a wooden spoon on an iron pot. Some instincts are engrained and when that happens followed by. **_Get up and dressed_**. In an officer tone of voice. My solider instincts react to follow the order. I was up and dressed and ready for school in 6 minutes. I was standing in the main area of the hut, at near attention.

"Come on." Eponin said. "We need to get to the dining hut."

I nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

I met Xena and Gabrielle at the dining hut. Everyone had breakfast. Which was mostly bread, meat and chest, all freshly made. They even had butter. It was nice, except the milk I was forced to drink. Milk is even worse Warm and it was lumpy for some reason. I shrugged I'd eaten and drunk worse. I was listening to conversations the Solstice Festival was tonight so there was no school. I didn't know that. After breakfast. All four of the adults in my life and I told me we were going to see Alexander, but only for a few hours, as we had to get back to the festival. I ran to get packed, and then We saddled the horses, and I got on Midnight behind Gabrielle. It took half an hour to get to the Centaur village. Alexander was waiting for me. I jumped from the horse gracefully, and ran to him, we embraced and were hugging when I felt a hard enough swat on my backside to make me jump and yelp, it took a lot to do that. I looked behind me it. It was Gabrielle.

"Don't ever jump from a horse like that when it's in motion you understand me?" She asked.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Do you really? Because you do it again and we're not in a life or death situation where it might be necessary you're getting a paddling you understand?" She said firmly.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Wow, Gin she reminds me of your Mom." Alexander said.

"I know right, even though out of all them, My Mom looked the most like Ephiny."

"I can see it, it's the blonde curls, and the leather."

I nodded. "Yeah, My Mom when the weather called for she always had a leather jacket on, skipped it when it got to hot, of course."

"Now that you mention it Gin, she looks a lot like Ephiny." Alexander said.

"It's superficial a lot of kick ass women are have blond curls and light eyes." That got me a warning swat. "Sorry."

"Ephiny maybe you should go visit Xenon, We'd like to speak to Alexander and his guardian." Gabrielle said.

Ephiny nodded. "Sure, Ep."

"I need to stay with the Queen, give my regards."

"Come to the kitchens." Alexander said. He brought us around to the kitchens all the buildings and huts in the centaur village were taller and wider. It was question as to why. "Wait here."

He went in and brought out a Well-Worn Dean Cain, apparently Dean Cain played this character but they gave him a bit of a makeover to make him look as if he had a harder life. "Ginevra, Xena, Gabrielle, Eponin, My guardian, Licas."

"It's nice to meet you Licas." Gabrielle said.

"You as Well. Eponin how is Selene, Ada, and Mara?"

"They're fine Licas, I'll be happy to bring a letter if you want to take the time to write one." Eponin said.

"My thanks."

The adults started talking, and Alexander and My eyes, met and we slipped away, and sat under a large oak tree.

"How long has it been for you?" He asked.

"Three years ago, of course we'd lived together We lived together for two years, and dated for three before that."

He nodded. "So we're 13, and 12, and we've known each other five years, that's almost half our lives."

"Well, if you could the time you were dead, it's 8 years, its more than half."

"That's true." I was now leaning into him and his arms were around me. but we made no moved to do anything else, we just wanted to be together we sat nice that in silence for a while. When the adults came looking for us. We must have been gone longer than I thought because Ephiny was with them.

"Ginevra! What are you doing?" Ephiny said.

"Nothing! He's just holding me. If it was you what would you do?" I knew she lost her husband.

"Alright, alright you're not in trouble, but no more wandering off or sitting is going to be a distant memory for you."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Give Alexander his parchment and explain how to use it we have a festival to get to."

I did and then we went back to the festival which was really something meat, and dancing and wine and cider, the kids were sent off the bed. And the next day, Xena and Gabrielle spent recovering the day after that they left at first light.


End file.
